Fragility Of The Sakura
by Frozzy
Summary: Uchiha Itachi plants a certain invisible cursed mindseal on a certain pinkhaired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but what happenes when feelings get involved? [OLD STORY]
1. That Cursed Feeling

**Title:** Fragility of the Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku 

…_**Please give it a try guys. It may be slow in the beginning, but it gets better…**__**

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_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter one: That Cursed Feeling**

_Oh, sure as hell we're close now. We were that days ago to, but just keep on walking. At some point we must be close_, Inner Sakura mimicked her sensei in anger.

The mountainous landscape, covered with a thick white blanket of glistering snow, reached out endlessly in the horizon. Soft petals of snow fell gracefully down from the pale, grey sky hidden beneath the surface of dark clouds.

The female among four frames, was named Sakura. Her limbs were heavy and numb, having lost all their strength to the battle against the stinging coldness covering her skin, and digging down under the flesh in a relentless throbbing, her eyelashes were heavy with droplets of iced snow and her usually peachy lips held an unhealthy blue. Her slender figure was shuddering in the cold, her arms thrown around her body to warm herself. Her pink tresses curled around her frozen cheeks, and framed in her heart-shaped face. The jade eyes were hollow and empty from anything but agony. The pain from her stinging limbs was dizzying her head, and did nothing but fog her sight. Her slender fingers were stiff with cold and held an unhealthy pale color due to the constant low temperatures; they had traveled in these last couple of days.

The weather did everything but change. They hadn't reached anything, yet he kept encouraging them by confirming their goal was near.

The mission was plainly about catching up some apparently missing-nins from the Akatsuki organization, who stored valuable information about the Akatsuki headquarters… a typical a-class mission.

Blinking away the weight on her eyelashes, Sakura reached up to brush away a few strands of her hair from her vision with shaky fingers. Just the motion hurt her sensitive skin, as if the small piece it that was stretched, seemed to be miles. Her lips shuddering and her teeth chattering, she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. Adjusting her head, her gaze averted up to meet a dark onyx one.

Flashing an assuring smile, she confirmed her state… keeping up the façade of course. How could it be they didn't seem to be in pain from the cold? Why was it her? Why was it _always_ her? Why was she always the… the weak one. Sasuke had always been right. She was a nuisance to the team, even now, she was a simple chuunin and they were all jounins. She truly was weak. That was why she had given up Sasuke. He would never see her as more than just a hindrance to him and Team 7.

That was why she finally offered him freely to Ino, and they had finally gotten friends once more, yet Sasuke stayed firmly at the conclusion girlfriends was nothing but a hindrance, so Ino still had a lot to sacrifice to get the attention from him. Naruto had given up Sakura, and instead had turned to Hinata, who gladly appreciated the attention she got from the blonde-haired member of Team 7.

Naruto had never done anything else but worry about Sakura, and just recently, she had realized that, and had stopped being so unfriendly against him. Sure, he was dumb sometimes, but sometimes he could also be the very best supporting friend you ever had.

He had matured though, and you could feel it in his behavior. He still was rebellious and loud, but he knew when to take things seriously and listen.

A sharp wind cut through the silence, and hit her face as if needles punctured her skin. Placing her hands to cover her mouth, she coughed lightly and tugged the cloak tighter around herself. She did not need any of their pity. All she needed right now was warmth and shelter. Their food supplies were at a zero, and they barely had any water left. If they didn't reach that inn soon, they surely would end their days out here in the cold, far away from Konoha and their homes.

Tsunade had always told her to be strong, to hide her weaknesses and in that way gain the respect she longed so much for. All the villains they had stumbled upon at their missions had always taken her for a joke, not taking her seriously, underestimated her. Sometimes they even ignored her. She cried. Every night she cried. Cried to get out the hurting feeling welding up inside, delving deeper inside of her with each second passing by. She never cried for any wound that might cause her great pain, no… she suffered from the pain inside. She only cried for that. _Only _that.

She had listened to Tsunade. She never showed any weakness in a fight, but then the other issue came up. Femininity. Her being the only female on a thorough male team. _Still _underestimated. It didn't matter what she did. She would always be the weak one of them. _Always_.

Her throat suffered from lack of warmth and was nearly ripped apart, as another cough left her dry lips. She felt a hand on her shoulder, supporting her through the lighter coughs that followed. Swallowing down her feeling of unease, she turned her gaze to her swollen hands she had used to cover for her cough.

They shuddered violently; small white scars covered them like a thin layer of fine threads. If even possible, her face turned even paler than the cold performed to make it. Hurriedly she dried her palms in her black cloak as if to dry of the disgusting scars, before she turned her attention to Naruto, his hand still carefully supporting her, though she was well enough to walk on her own. That was what she thought, until she noticed, they had came to a halt, and suddenly realized how her knees throbbed painfully from being keeling down into the cold snow.

Gritting her teeth in agony of her knees, she tried to stand up on shuddering legs, but she immediately buckled underneath her weight, but was supported by Naruto. His bright blue irises held so much concern; they could almost burst open with emotions, as Sakura glanced at him. She held her head bowed in humiliation. Couldn't they just leave her, if it was too much for her? Instead of supporting her all way? It was hard enough as it already was, but… she wasn't helpless.

"Are you sure you have fully recovered from your last sickness, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked concernedly, and grabbed her elbow to help stand up on her own. She merely nodded a bit hesitant. Angered at her own weakness blossoming up so violently, she gained her untouched composure, and only held onto Naruto's shoulder for support.

She sighed and clenched her fist, feeling the light ache of pain in her chest after the coughs. It was just temporary. She had felt like this even before whole Team 7 got assigned to this mission. It was an A-class; partly that was why Kakashi was with them. Of course Naruto and Sasuke were jounins too, but Kakahsi had the greatest experience. Her herself, was only a chuunin. Why had she even agreed to come with them, not to add why she had been offered the possibility of a humiliation like this? She should've known, it would turn out like this.

"I'm pretty sure," she confirmed in a worried tone, not quite recalling the fact, why she actually _had_ agreed to this mission. It surely wasn't because of Sasuke, nor Naruto or Kakashi for that matter.

"Sakura, if anything's wr-"

"It's not. I assure you Naruto, I'm fine," she quickly reassured him more confidently this time, and she let go of his shoulder, finding herself able to hold up her body… much to her luck. She noticed how Naruto hesitated, but eventually he let the trust in her get the better of him. Sakura thanked god, Naruto was this easy to make believe. Sasuke and Kakashi was a whole other case.

They needed as much assurance, as a baby craves for milk. Glaring up, she walked a few steady steps closer the two figures waiting for her and Naruto. As she reached them, she was prepared for the next assurances.

"You're vulnerable to cold Sakura." Sasuke implied emotionlessly, and merely looked at her while stating so. Inner Sakura wasn't about to yield so easily to Sakura's rationality, as she made a harsh remark in Sakura's mind.

_Then stop bothering if my weakness annoys you so much_

Visibly Sakura just shrugged, used to this treatment from her cold teammate. Her sensei was a whole other matter. Just because he never showed his concern openly, it would always affect his behavior, if not his voice too. It was exactly like now, when she locked gazes with that one visible onyx eye of his.

"You're ready to go on?" he asked in the usual lazy manner, he so gracefully performed down to last detail. Naruto stumbled up beside her and carefully examined her once more. How she hated this. Just because she had _one_ single weak moment, they had to drag it out to eternity, yet she knew it never was just _one_ weak moment. It was amounts of them… constantly…

Sasuke had his eyes glued ahead of them, slightly narrowing those dark irises of his and his lips quirked up in a determined gesture. He was eager to reach the inn, she knew that. Naruto and Kakashi took more care of, how much she could handle. They were softer around her than Sasuke was, but she didn't care anymore. He could even hit her, and she wouldn't complain. In a matter of fact, physical pain would even be a release to the entire mental one… How she longed to feel the sharpness of the cold kunai puncture her skin and see the crimson blood slide down her palm, easing the pain inside.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped that's all", she quickly retorted, eager to leave this subject and move on.

Kakashi nodded, somewhat a bit hesitant, before Sasuke and he began taking the lead once more. Sakura in between them and Naruto as the last one. She vaguely wondered, if they had planned her being in the middle all the way long. She had been it after all, now she thought hard about it.

"Kakashi-sensei? When are we there", Sakura practically had to yell at her sensei. He turned his head to watch her shuddering form, and with gentleness he rarely showed, she saw the corners of his lips tug upwards in a smile beneath the fabric of his dark mask. He stopped walking and let her reach him, so they could be able to converse without yelling at each other. Sasuke took in the lead meanwhile.

"Soon Sakura, be patient," he chuckled at her, and absently he reached one gloved hand out to pat her head, but it stopped midair, as he suddenly realized her unusually pale face. Knitting his brows in worry, he let his hand brush her jawbone instead, finding her skin close to the temperature of hard ice. Sakura didn't acknowledge his rather intimidating touch, she merely kept her eyes straight forward, her jaw somewhat slightly tensed, whether from the cold or from determination Kakashi couldn't quite decide.

He felt bothered about how much cold seemed to affect his little female student. Sasuke had been right, commenting she was vulnerable to cold. He could have said it softer though, it had almost been as if he had been blaming her for that weakness.

Then again, it was no lie Sasuke hated weaknesses, yet Kakashi had been a firm believer, that he had gotten used to Sakura's lack in _physical_ strength, but apparently it still annoyed him, she was that much lower than the rest of the team.

Naruto had never complained, and Kakashi doubted, he saw Sakura as weak. She wasn't weak, she was just weaker than them, but then she was much stronger at other things, they couldn't even perform the slightest bit of anywhere close to perfection. For instance she had intelligence they could only dream of, and she was able to heal, which none of them had never and never would be able to perform.

Another thing that bothered Kakashi, was that Sakura so easily had agreed to Sasukes harsh comment. Kakashi had never been able to read Sakura as good as the two other male students. Perhaps because she was female, and he was male.

A tug at his sleeve, made him look down into jade irises.

"You've told us we're close all way long. I know it's a way of encouraging us, but it's not fun anymore sensei", she mumbled just for him to hear. He narrowed his visible eye at her, nearly laughing at her sudden seriousness. He only grinned beneath his mask, barely containing his cool façade.

Did she honestly think a-classed mission would be fun? She surely was mistaken then, and this mission would show her the hard way. Hadn't he proved to his students that A-class missions often ended up with bad injuries and poor strength afterwards? Hadn't they seen him being close to dying enough times to realize that?

…Uhm…

…Okay, he had never been that badly beaten up though, but then there were other Konoha shinobis that had been, who they _had_ seen.

"Missions are not fun Sakura! They are though, and expect much of you, both mentally and physically," he explained lazily, not missing the anger in her eyes. It only amused him though. She complained this was everything but nice, which he of course understood very well, yet she managed to get furious about such a simple thing. She knew, what he was telling her was true, she just wouldn't admit it.

Sighing Sakura knew Kakashi was right to some point. Missions were _never_ nice, boring maybe, but _never_ nice, or fun for that matter. It was just… she needed something to cling onto at the moment. She needed to get a pent-up pain out by placing words, and complaining was the best she could come up with at the moment, since she was already annoyed as it was.

"You complain too much Sakura," Kakashi hummed cheerfully and moved his hand down his pocket, and drew out an orange book. The infamous Icha Icha paradise. Flipping a few pages through it, he found a spot he apparently preferred since the pages were all flossy and coarse, not to mention dog-eared. Sakura looked silently at him. Her tongue ached to confess her sadness to him, after all she trusted him, yet the pain inside would only develop, if she told him. She knew that. Feeling the familiar itching scratching in her eyes and the burning sensation of warm tears made her glance away.

She was weak. She knew it. She didn't have to get in confirmed, but she constantly was. She was constantly reminded whenever they stepped in front of her in a battle, and forced her to just look at the fight, but never act in it. They never just let her try, and then she could fail, if she wanted to. It was always her they protected. Kakashi-sensei always protected her and almost never Sasuke and Naruto.

They were always so silent whenever a battle had occurred, and she had just sat behind all the time. They didn't blame her… all because she was too weak, compared to them, to be any help at all.

With teary eyes, Sakura bit her bottom lip, and uttered the words ever so softly, silent enough for only her to hear.

"…because I'm the weak one…"

"Hey Kaka-sensei? Is that the inn you talked about?" Naruto yelled, waving back at them. Sakura's head shot up, and the burden having strained her shoulders, seemed to lighten at the sight of a dark shadow in the horizon, illuminated by lights. Hopefully she glared up at Kakashi. He had his full attention on an orange book in his hands, and merely glared at the inn, before answering Naruto.

"Yup."

Naruto yelled cheerfully and hooked an arm around Sasukes neck, bringing both of them down into the snow, yet he was practically thrown away by Sasuke, and ended with his head burrowed deep down the snow, while Sasuke glared at him with a wicked gleam in his eyes and a smirk. Sakura clenched her cold hands and brought them up to her mouth to warm them with her breath.

It wasn't that far now. Apparently Kakashi hadn't lied _this_ time. Still it looked so far away, and how could they know it was actually true and not just some illusion to try coaxing them into a trap? She trusted Kakashi's judgment though, and right now at the moment, he seemed everything but worried the least. Especially with his eyes glued to that stupid perverted book… It had always lurked her curiousness, although she would never admit it. Kakashi always was so mysterious about that book. What was so special about it anyway?

"Ne Sasuke," Naruto said, as he had gotten on his feet. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Better not be a challenge baka," he mumbled back, his head shaking almost invisibly. Naruto only grinned and placed his hand behind his blonde head and scratched lightly.

"Last one treats for ramen," he then exclaimed loudly and sprinted of in the distance, leaving dust of snowflakes behind him as a trail. Sasuke wasn't slow to follow after, and left an even bigger snowstorm. Sakura growled annoyed at their happy behavior. How could they actually be happy about this? They should be annoyed like hell and feeling just as bad as she did. _Why the heck was she the only one affected so badly from this weather?_

Turning her attention elsewhere, she suppressed the sigh threatening to leave her lips. This was going to be long mission.

-

They had reached the inn at last. Naruto and Sasuke were basically forced by violence from Kakashi's side into sharing a room. They weren't fond of it, but the last hit they received from Kakashi had made their options clear. Get beaten up or agree into sharing. They needed to get along like team members.

Why Kakashi had been so determined to make them share, Sakura had no clue about. She couldn't phantom the thought Kakashi wanted to share room with _her_ of all people, but then… she was the weakest, and she was the one needing most protection. Sasuke and Naruto could take perfectly care of themselves, but she needed to be looked over, and wouldn't Kakashi, her sensei, be the best to do that exact thing?

Sakura sighed and let the brush run through her pastel locks, watching them being stretched, before curling around her face. With the years, her hair had begun to get a faint sway to it, and making the tips of her hair curl along her face, framing in her face and features.

The boys were still down the bar. Sakura had insisted on going early to bed. That headache and throbbing in her throat was making her all dizzy and heavy. The feeling of unease had only increased in strength, and she had a hard time focusing her gaze on the shapes in the room.

It was a chill night. The wind was crispy and brought a faint freeze with it. She cursed herself for not having brought anything warmer than her white nightgown to sleep in. Also the fact she was sharing room with Kakashi, and he was the last person she wanted to see her like a female, nevertheless she just had to face it. At least they didn't have to share any bed. Luckily there were two… Or else he would just have to sleep on the floor. _Period_!

"Kunoichi," a baritone voice echoed out into the silence. Sakura yelped in shock and spun around poised for fight, as she glared wildly at the source of the noise. In a daze of dizziness she openly let her eyes roam over the presence in her room.

The heavy black cloak with the red and grey pattern of clouds was familiar beyond comprehension. Black tresses of hair fell into the male's eyes and brushed softly against his pale skin in a caress of affection. His features were sharp, and his jaw rose in pride. A strange glow of pure supremacy clung to his body. No doubt, he was shinobi. A very powerful one that is.

Their eyes then locked. Sakura watched in horror, as the familiar deep onyx orbs met hers intensely.

Her breath hitched uncomfortably in her throat. Slowly the onyx sensually swirled itself into a deep crimson, as warm as hungering flames on dry wood. Fear lightened up her face, and a shaking hand came up to cover her lips in a gesture of shock.

"Sharingan… I-Itachi?" she stuttered in a fragile whisper. She blinked, and the hollow sound of the brush falling heavily onto the floor, seemed overwhelmingly loud in the silent room. His enchanting gaze of blood-red crimson created non-existent bonds tightening around her body, and kept her securely in place. As he stood still and only eyed her presence, she felt the bonds slack and her breathing went from rapid to near even.

Without moving a centimeter, Itachi suddenly stood mere inches away from her and towered threateningly above her. She flinched sharply, and knocked herself back against the desk, just as his hand reached out and enveloped her wrist. In shock, she stood complete paralyzed.

Gracefully Itachi slid slender fingers inside his cloak, and undid a little package pinned to the fabric of his cloak. He showed it to her in the palm of his hand.

She looked questioningly at it; still not fully comprehending Itachi was standing inches away from her, and his fingers gracing the skin on her wrist. Neither did she seem to comprehend the rather intimate position they were in.

"It'll help the pain. Don't overdo it," Itachi explained, while she carefully examined the little pack in his hand. It appeared to be of dry material, since liquid would have seeped through the fabric. Frowning she found herself unable to reach out and grab the pack. Itachi arched an elegantly shaped eyebrow in patience.

Hesitatingly, perhaps slight out of fear, Sakura opened her mouth, to question this act of care from his side, but her mouth clamped shut, the second she felt him move a bit closer.

It wasn't the closeness he now performed that made her wake up from her haze of shock, and then blush. It was the fact, she discovered what clothing she wore in his presence. The thin nightgown of pastel white, that hardly did anything but tempt.

But what worse was, when he inched forward to place the pack on the desk _behind_ her, his cloak ground up against her, and forced the gown to follow its motions and slide up her thighs and baring her legs.

Suddenly panicking Sakura placed her trembling palms on his chest, stiffening at the feel of hard muscles and how they clenched at her touch, but harshly pushed him away from her with a flustered face. Shortly she had forgotten who it was, she dared to push at, a dangerous Akatsuki-member, not to mention a cold-hearted killer, and so she panicked and moved away from the desk and towards the door.

A broken gasp left her parted lips, as she was grabbed from behind and slammed down onto the floor, her shoulder connecting painfully with the hard wood.

The strap of her gown slid down her shoulder, and frantically she covered her chest with her arm in a gesture of insecurity. She _still_ wasn't fond of her body. It _still_ lacked in development. A major part in the fact she was _still _single, and this man crossed her spaces.

Panting from the hard fall, she glared up at Itachi, a few pastel locks covering her eyes.

"Why would you help me?"

It was odd. Somehow, she just knew, Itachi knew what was going on with her. Why she felt so weak physically, if not emotionally. Kneeling beside her, Itachi placed elegant fingers underneath her chin, and heaved her face slowly. She blushed at the familiarity he seemed to store for her, but forced the thought aside. Finally being the main character of something serious was lightening up her mind.

This was about her. Not Naruto, Sasuke or Kakashi. Furthermore it was Itachi. The one that surely should be after Naruto or Sasuke, taking in consideration kyubi and the past.

Wetting her lips Sakura was aware this truly was about her. Itachi had come to _her_. Why he had come to actually _help_, wasn't comprehendible, only suspiciously, but still. His business concerned _her_.

"I don't wish you harm!"

The husky words clouded over Sakura's mind, and suddenly a heavy cloak of warmth clung to her skin, and a shaky breath left her parted lips.

He was close… too close… He was… Itachi… The evil one. Her enemy. The one who destroyed Sasukes life. Her team-member Sasuke.

With great effort Sakura managed to jerk herself over in the right state of mind, the rational one. He had just said, he didn't wish her harm. Why not? Wasn't he supposed too, her being Sasuke's… comrade…? He had just said… he wanted to do this to protect her. _Protect_ her. She was supposed to growl with fury, to smack him straight across that pale face of his, yet… somehow… she couldn't find herself to do it. Somehow… she didn't mind he wanted to take care of her. She… wanted him to take care of her. To be her protector. She had always hated Naruto and Sasuke insisting on protecting her. With Kakashi it was a whole other thing. She didn't mind, yet it was preferable if he didn't. But Itachi… she didn't… know…

Her body brushed against his, and a jolt floated pleasurably down her spine. She arched her back instinctively, and felt warmth radiate from his masculine form, as it gently enveloped her. With a warm flush on her cheeks, she could practically taste the muscles rippled beneath the damp skin of his, as easy as her body reacted to his proximity…_involuntarily_…

He leaned in close, his inches from her ear.

"Hasn't gotten used to the touch of a male… what an innocence!"

Sakura visible paled. Her lips couldn't stop trembling. Whether from subconscious anger or fear, she couldn't quite figure out. Forcing them to close, she glared timidly up the missing-nin. It struck her how much he looked like Sasuke. She did never have a close look at him, but now that he was mere inches away from her face, she could paint out the sharp jaw and the high cheekbones, as if it was taken directly from Sasuke.

The only thing separating them was the eyes. Itachi preferred to leave the sharingan mostly on, instead of his real eyes. She wondered if they were just as dark as Sasukes. They ought to be. Anything else would shatter the familiarity between them.

Sakura frowned. If Itachi let charka flow constantly into the nerves of his eyes, then wouldn't that do damage on a longer period of time?

A sudden glister in the dark, made Sakura jerk back to reality, and face the state of shock. Itachi held an indeed very sharp kunai in his hand. A rather sadistic smirk crossed his face, and he raised the kunai ever so slowly. Then without further notice, he drew it all way up and with a flick of his wrist, it sliced of a lock of pastel pink.

Wide-eyed she stared at him, as he arched his brows questioningly. Had he just cut her hair?

_That imbecile jerk, how dare he?_ Inner Sakura screamed outraged.

She opened her mouth to start yelling, a sudden image of Naruto flaring through her mind at that term, when two elegant fingers covered her slightly parted lips. At the touch, Sakura went still, her lips tingling. She looked up at Itachi, and was met by shock. His eyes were onyx. The exact same as Sasukes, yet much darker and… alluring… Sultrier if it had to be named correctly. Sakura blushed at the sudden though of how many women he had taken to bed.

Those eyes could enchant every single woman. She herself found, she preferred the onyx. They more like… comforted her, perhaps because they reminded her of Sasuke. Either way the sharingan only frightened her.

"Your eyes…They…"

Slowly he drew back, his cloak whizzing in the air. Just as he was about to leave completely into the darkness through the window, Sakura flung out her lithe hand and grabbed hold of his cloak.

"Itachi…"

The silence was overwhelming. He simply just stared at her, not commenting her trembling hold on his cloak. She still feared him. That much was obvious, but… Sakura arched her brows, as she felt something warm brush her fingers. Glaring at her hand grabbing his cloak, she realized Itachi's fingers were gently prying hers of his cloak.

She sudden realised, he probably didn't want her touching him, and with a gasp she stumbled away from him, or at least she tried to. Just as she was about to move backwards, his hand shot out and grabbed hold of her neck. Involuntarily she was forced to look up into his onyx eyes.

She watched in amazement, as the dark, almost black, color withdrew to the power of the molten crimson one.

"Keep your lips sealed, little kunoichi. What couldn't happen if you didn't?" he snarled at her.

With that… he was gone. She looked straight into empty space. Blinking dumbfounded she shook her head, and placed a hand on her fevered forehead. It had to be the lack of sleep. Never in life would she find Itachi… tempting…

_He wasn't all that… frightening…_

-

"_Itachi_?"

"Naruto, calm down. He didn't hurt me," Sakura snapped in annoyance. She had finally built up the courage to confront her team about her nighttime encounter with Itachi. Actually, she had pretty much forced them away from the bar and into her and Kakashi's shared room.

Naruto had, as expected, flamed up at the news, while Kakashi had tensed and furrowed his visible brow thoughtfully, though thankfully he remained silent, probably thinking. Sasuke reacted alike Kakashi, yet he also seemed… troubled…

"What did he want?" he asked, and Sakura stared blankly at him. Should she say… but then, she didn't want to admit her weakness. She didn't want to admit, she had needed an antidote to that pain in her chest. She didn't want to appear weak. To acknowledge she had been cursed or likely, without even having _noticed_.

Closing her eyes, Sakura stared blankly at her folded fingers nestling comfortably in her lap. Naruto was still fuming, but luckily Kakashi had a firm grip on his shirt, preventing him from jumping on her. He yet had to speak, and somehow… she needed his support in this.

"I… He just spoke to me that's all Sasuke," she finally muttered and earned a snort from Naruto, who fought desperately against Kakashi.

"Sakura-"

In that moment, inner Sakura flamed up, and consumed Sakura's rational mind. _That´s it Sakura, tell that god damn bastard who the fuck he thinks he is _

As if on cue, Sakura's eyes glazed over and in one swift elegant motion, she was standing up, towering above Sasuke with tears of rage wetting her eyes, though she stubbornly showed them back down.

Naruto had suddenly calmed and a worried expression of concern graced his matured features.

Kakashi had become apparent to the world around him, and had slacked his grip on Naruto, and instead keeping his intense gaze on Sakura.

They all glared at her. Sasuke from his position on the chair, where he sat with spread legs and crossed arms, Naruto from the position on Kakashi's bed, though he lay half-sprawled on the floor, while Kakashi had slung himself down onto the bed, leaning his back against the headboard, and stretching out his one leg, the other bowed, and his hands placed behind his head, blocking it from the hardness of the bedpost.

_Sakura, wake up! Don't hesitate now dumb girl! **Tell him** god damn it_

"It doesn't matter, Sasuke. What we talked about doesn't concern you, so you can be calm! Not everything about Itachi is _your_ business. You're out to _kill_ him, then _stick_ to that, and don't bother about me talking with him."

…Okay, she hadn't meant it to come that way. She sure as hell hadn't expected herself to talk so… fondly about her and Itachi´s encounter. It was as if they were something intimate. In addition, as expected, Sasuke's head had shot up, though Naruto was faster to speak aloud his confusion: "Talking?"

Sakura bowed her head, her voice suddenly lost. She heard a low growl form Sasuke, and the sound of clothes moving, and as much as she hated to admit it, she awaited his rage on her… physically. A sudden gasp left her mouth though; as she instead felt warm fingers close around her chin, and lifted her head slowly.

She found herself glaring in her sensei's dark eye, and she visible shuddered and the firmness and seriousness in his gaze.

Naruto was behind him, grabbing a hold on Sasuske's sleeve, as if holding him back and leave her and Kakashi to speak. A warm glow had appeared in Naruto's eyes, and as they locked gazes, he smiled comfortingly. Inner Sakura bounced happily. …_Naruto_…

Her attention was suddenly averted to Kakashi. He was standing in front of her, his gloved fingers still holding her chin. Somehow, she felt slightly uncomfortable. Kakashi-sensei was never one to show concern, or just emotions, that openly. Perhaps he was just concerned.

"If anything you _will_ tell us, Sakura", Kakashi stated firmly, and at last he let go of her chin. She bit her bottom lip nervously.

"I-.. I can't, Kakashi-sensei. Just please stop doing this. Just stop…" she sighed and placed the pads of two fingers on her temple, rubbing the soreness.

Kakashi ran a hand through his tousled hair and grabbed her shoulder, just as Sasuke jerked free of Naruto and paced up to stand beside Kakashi, who let go of Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura… Don't let him fool you. He's not worth your effort nor attention," Sasuke mumbled insistently, and avoided her eyes. She felt warmth throbbing inside of her, and her face flushed slightly. _Hold it right there Sakura! You're over him remember? You freely offered him to Ino. Get a grip on yourself girl_

"I've warned you once. I'm not going to repeat myself. If you mingle with him, you'll be in my way… I don't want to hurt you Sakura."

Sakura blinked in shock and disbelief. Did he just threaten her? Okay, perhaps she didn't have in mind ever interfering with Itachi, but that didn't give Sasuke the right to downright _threaten_ her. Talk about justice! Sakura blinked once more, before she narrowed her eyes.

"Sasuke-"

"Don't interfere in this. It's nothing for you to be pulled into-"

Once again the string snapped. Rage fired up her jade eyes, and in one single motion, she was pointing accusingly at Sasuke, who merely stared coldly at her.

"Because I'm weak that is? If that's your problem, then stop bothering me about it. I know, I have no _bloodline_ or anything, nor do I have the skills a ninja at my age is supposed to, but please if it bothers you to always keep an eye on me, then don't. I don't care. If it's that annoying to protect me, then _don't_. Let me die if necessary, just leave me _the fuck alone_..." she yelled, her cheeks flushed with rage. Naruto was uncomfortably fidgeting with a kunai in the background, meanwhile Kakashi was holding Sakura's wrist.

In a quick flash inner Sakura appeared: _Why does sensei keep touching me_? but she was forced down into oblivion, as sadness overwhelmed Sakura's shuddering form.

"I don't need your pity," she yelled, and trashed wildly in Kakashi's arms. A chill of astonishment flashed through her. Had he encircled her waist with his arms? Her heart ached. Was he actually… comforting her in his own… weird kind of way?

Sasuke's eyes flashed, as he clenched his fists.

"God damn it, I just don't want you hurt Sakura, that's all, but I can't guarantee that if you get involved with Itachi. I _hav_e to kill him, do you understand Sakura? That's my purpose in life! I'm not going to let that slip away from me, not even for you. If you stand in my way, _I will kill you_!"

Time stopped. Every sound vanished. Sakura could only stare at Sasuke, and then her body went limp in Kakashi's embrace. Fortunately, he offered her the support she needed, and prevented her body from collapsing. Naruto was gaping openly, and if Sakura had been able to see Kakashi, she would acknowledge the pure rage on his face.

"_Sasuke_," Kakashi practically hissed at his student. Sasuke seemed to lose composure for a moment, before he grumpily crossed his arms and huffed.

In a matter of few seconds Naruto came to Sakura's defense, and was lounging against Sasuke, sending both of them tumbling down onto the floor, both trying to win the supremacy by getting on top.

Sakura was practically stunned. He would… _kill_ her? Staring down she felt her eyes sting with tears of sadness, as they locked on her trembling hand. Barely above a whisper, she mouthed: "At this rate I might as well join Itachi!"

Moreover, once again, if she had been able to watch over her shoulder, she would've seen Kakashi's visible eye penetrate her shuddering form.

(-)

he bitter warm sake lingered down his throat and made it throb pleasurably. The crimson glare scanned the inn, and the drunken people leaning over the bar to catch the bartender's attention. The hoarse and dry laughter and the coughing caused by the thick smoke in the air, was annoying his senses restlessly.

The faster this was completed, the faster he could get away from this disgraceful sight of humanity. What was the point by rather being numb and careless, than alert and in control? If any shinobis were to attack, nobody in here would be able to protect themselves.

A grunt of disapproval echoed in his ears, and he turned his attention to his companion sitting calmly beside him with am empty glass of sake.

"Itachi… your eyes", he warned grudgingly, and nodded towards the table beside them, were a man was sitting and eyeing them in what looked like horror and perhaps fear. Itachi nodded his understanding and Kisame watched in boredom, as the crimson of Itachi's eyes slowly blackened out in a swirl of sensual flows to a dark moist onyx, dry as dust yet humid as the cold dew in the early morning hours. Itachi hid the process by letting raven hair shadow his features, yet a bit restrained by a forehead protector with a deep cut crossing its length.

"The kunoichi. Why do you need her?" Kisame asked lowly, as if not to gain any attention. Itachi heard him though. He smirked dryly.

_The prey needs bait. The boy with Kyubi sealed inside him is fond of her; perhaps even Kyubi had grown attached to Naruto's fondness of the kunoichi, and being able to read her mind, will be the perfect opportunity to get to know, how to sweep pass that boys defenses._

_Besides she'll make the perfect coaxing to get Kyubi close enough to capture, and since her, Naruto and my little brother received that a-class mission to find our missing Akatsukies, it'll be just the right moment to catch her… especially since their mission is going to end out futile… The missing-nins have already been taken care of... _

"We should be chasing Kyubi instead", Kisame mumbled annoyed, and emptied the glass for the last drops of warm sake. Itachi didn't acknowledge his companion; he merely glanced down at the ring on his finger, moving it so it lightened up, then falling back into the shadows of darkness. If Kisame noticed that sign of boredom, he didn't say anything.

"What curse was it?" Kisame asked lazily. Itachi glared at him from the corner of his eye. Sometimes he wondered, why he bothered keeping such an inconvenience as Kisame with him, but then Kisame had shown himself worthy as a comrade several times on the combat field.

"Mind," Itachi drawled and let the pad of his finger grace the outline of the glass in front of him. Kisame arched one brow mockingly and leaned back in the chair.

"She's superior in genjutsu," he proclaimed. Itachi let out a short chuckle, and pushed away the glass with one smooth motion of his fingers. It slid across the table, and literally hung mere inches out on the edge of the table.

"But she lacks in knowledge," Itachi claimed while watching the glass in fascination, as it tipped on the very edge of its downfall. Kisame furrowed his brows, slightly bothered Itachi constantly talked in riddles. Perhaps, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was damn sure everyone encountering Itachi, would arch at least one eyebrow in confusion, at his riddling talk, though Kisame held his mouth shut, and fought back the sigh.

Itachi was never talkative. He talked, when talked to, but had never been one to lead a conversation, unless it was of important matter, which _always_ meant gather information.

"What do you mean Itachi?" Kisame shrugged. Itachi turned his attention from the glass, and glared at his comrade. What had he expected anyway. That Kisame actually _understood _him?

"Her mind is far too young to handle this character of a genjutsu."

"Oh…So, basically through her we'll get facts about Naruto and… Kyubi?" Kisame said, as it suddenly dawned on him. Itachi nodded shortly, not deliberately bothering to answer him.

His thoughts keep wandering to that pink-haired kunoichi. That power he had felt. It was almost frightening. It wasn't a power that was threateningly, but if he tried to explain that to Kisame it would take several centuries. It had more been… a _soothing_ force. He knew, she was above average in genjutsu, but it hadn't felt like that element. If it was, his sharingan would have detected it. Whatever it was, he was now determined to figure out. If he was going to be the superior shinobi, he had to know every single bit of information about the powers in the shinobi-world, and that… Sakura-girl… was a wonder to him.

"I should've known. But how can we gain her trust?"

Kisame rudely jerked Itachi back from his thoughts and into reality, and he scowled slightly, yet Kisame didn't notice, since he was far too busy watching the glass, which still stood devastatingly close to the edge.

"She's weak right now. Her self-esteem is lacking, partly because of the seal, but also because of the fact she feels overprotected," Itachi bothered to respond.

"But she is-"

"-because my stupid little brother and his team never gave her the opportunity to develop the force slumbering within her," Itachi cut of Kisame of in a somewhat rude manner.

Lazily he slid up from his chair in a graceful and elegant motion, the heavy cloak whizzing in the air, and with a nod of his head, he motioned Kisame to follow his example.

Kisame stood up, a bit more clumsily, and pushed down the hat to cover his eyes. Itachi activated his sharingan, and pulled down his hat too. With a curt nod at Kisame, both of them slid away from the table.

The glass tipped over the edge of the table, finally surrendered to its destiny and cut through the thick smoky air, and cascaded out into small silver spikes around the floor with a shattering sound piercing through the air. Nobody heard, and neither did anyone notice the two Akatsukies leaving the bar.

(-)

hey stepped out into the fresh air, and immediately took of with a flash of chakra pushing them of the ground.

"So you say you can feel her full ki, when she's emotional?" Kisame asked as they practically sprinted through the cold and snowy landscapes, heading for their temporary headquarter which was literally just on old hut buried in snow. Itachi nodded at Kisame. Kisame frowned thoughtfully.

"How emotional?" he asked after some time. The cold snow hit his face like sharp needles puncturing his skin, and he wrinkled his nose. Itachi didn't seem bothered by the speed, they were traveling at.

At least their cloaks were able to keep out the cold.

A sudden jolt of chakra floated down Itachi, and subconsciously he heightened the speed. Kisame arched one brow, but tried his best to keep up with Itachi, who seemed oblivious to the world. Not to mention he hadn't answered his question yet. Just as he was about to ask once more, Itachi turned his blazing crimson gaze to his.

"As proved at countless encounters before, it does bloom when she's outraged and furious…" he exclaimed slowly.

"But?"

"With positive emotions her ki blooms to exceptional heights."

His voice was low for some reason. Kisame wasn't stupid enough to oversee the fact, Itachi was bothered. But by what? Had it something to do with that dumb hussy from the Copy Ninja's team?

Another jolt of chakra and Itachi heightened the speed once more. Kisame felt his body start to betray him, but forced himself to speed up again, ignoring the sore throbbing in his body now, and the blackening of his eyes.

He very well knew, Itachi truly had an amazing amount of chakra gathered inside of him, and didn't want to be a hindrance, because of the fear he might abandon him to himself. Itachi had been the only one to ever actually see some potential in him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let that slip away. It was just like with that kunoichi. Itachi was also the only one seeing the potential in her.

"…Why did you give her the antidote to the pain?" Kisame choked out. Itachi suddenly came to a halt, apparently realising his unintentional speeding.

Kisame gratefully felt the speed lack in power, and could see the outline of a little snowy hill in the horizon. Their headquarter.

"In the beginning the seal has to force her body to accept it. That's a painful process, and if she concentrates too much on her pain, her mind blocks out everything else, including the information we seek," Itachi explained, as he too eyed the hill of snow.

Kisame nodded.

"Oh. But its in the beginning then?"

"It will take a few weeks to get the body to cooperate with the seal," Itachi explained, as he gracefully looped down onto the snow, his cloak whirling around him, before nestling as a circle around his kneeling body.

Kisame landed beside him, just as Itachi steadied himself, his spine now straight. Itachi gestured for Kisame to start undoing the traps around the hut concerning several kunais and shurikens, supposed to keep uninvited company away, the time they were gone.

"How long does the antidote you gave the kunoichi last?" Kisame asked, as he undid the transparent thread, and Itachi easily dodged the kunais that were shot up from the snow. Pretty much carelessly Kisame undid another, and Itachi leapt away from it too, not seeming exceptionally bothered, as he undid another one himself, and made Kisame dodge it, though not as gracefully, as he performed himself.

"About five days," Itachi shrugged, and glared at Kisame, as he undid the last trap. Then he strolled pass him and pushed the door open, a heavy wind blowing through the little hut. Kisame entered right behind him, and closed the door, effectively suffocating the wind.

"Hn… Then you must seek her out once more," he stated the obvious. Itachi nodded.

"Will you activate the seal then?"

"I assume, if the seal has rested in her body by then, I will be able to!"

Kisame watched as Itachi walked over to their food-supplies and started sorting it. Kisame decided to join him. Now that they had found the pink-haired kunoichi, there weren't much else to do than just wait, until the seal eventually would be functional enough to be benefiting.

**

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A/N:** There you go… Hope you liked it… **This is my first Naruto-fic. So please go easy on me, I'm kinda nervous about what you think**… 

Anyway, feel free to comment it, and if needed I'll even take against flames, that's **based on logic and well-known reasons**. I'm not a person to take critics lightly. If you have any critics based on anything **as foolish as not liking this pairing, then don't review! **

Reviews very much appreciated 

**-Frozzy**


	2. Pathetic You Said?

**Title:** Fragility Of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

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**A/N:** -blushes- Before we start, I want to clarify that English is **not** my native language, which mean I know there'll undoubtedly occur wrong spelling, wrong sentences etc., so please bare over with me. Please?

Besides, it would really help me to point out the small mistakes I make, so if you find a particular disturbing one, please tell me so then!

**You're welcome to come with constructive criticism or anything else, I will gladly accept that! Don't be afraid of telling me, I can handle it!**

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_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Two: Pathetic You Said?**

_Oh God, mornings are so not my thing,_ Inner Sakura yawned. 

With a muffled groan, Sakura tossed her head deep down into her pillow, the sheets wrinkling around her body. Her head pounded with unease and dizziness, not to forget her body felt all heavy and completely numb. A big, fat and slimy lump had gathered in her throat during the night, and seemed to cut of air.

If Sakura didn't know better, she would've placed it all to be -what is now was- due to a fever from cold, but with her knowledge about the human sicknesses and the anatomy of their bodies, she could firmly, without any chance at all being wrong, clarify this as something non-related to a fever.

Snuggling deeper down the covers of the bed, she sighed and rubbed her temple. Sure, this headache was going to be soothed, eventually disappear, during the day. Ones head was always sore after a night of sleep.

"God, if only this mission was over", she mumbled and stretched under the covers. All what had happened, occupied her brain more than what healthy was. Sasuke was pissed at her, Kakashi had suddenly turned farther-ish, Naruto had turned quiet towards her, and Itachi had turned a slightly sadistic way of nice towards her.

What the bloody hell was happening with that comforting loop, her life had circled in for so long? Where was that ever so average life, she had held? The life where she had felt safe. The predictable one. This tied itself all together in a messy knot.

"So much for adventure", Sakura muttered, as she sat up on her elbows, blinking rapidly with her eyes, as if to force the sleep away. Her eyes scanned the room, finding Kakashi's bed empty, of course, and the sheets neatly folded without any wrinkle at all. Sakura narrowed her eyes. So typical her sensei. Lazy when it came to his students, but strict when it came to his property. So very much like Sasuke, and so very much unlike Naruto…

Deciding to get up, Sakura swung her leg out the side, and gasped brokenly as a jolt of pain throbbed up her right thigh. With a shaky breath, she closed her eyes and rubbed the sore spot. Funny, she didn't remember having wounded that spot.

Fortunately, the pain was just a warm and dull ache, so she forced herself to stand up, though it took her several minutes to gain enough balance to walk steadily.

A sudden through flashed her mind… the antidote…

"Damn. Where's that antidote?" Sakura grumbled and leaned herself against the sink, holding her head in her hand. Why was this so hard? _Was _she sick?

A bitter taste entered her mouth, and quickly she looped herself over the sink, closing her eyes tightly with a brisk force, as the warm feeling of nausea rolled up her throat. Nothing came though. That lump from earlier only seemed to gather more force and start to pound inside her throat, as if is desperately fought against its prison.

Her head fell against the mirror above the sink, and with a heavy breath, she banged her forehead up against the glass. Her fingers clung to the sink, her knuckles white due the force of the tug. Panting heavily, she felt the pain enter her thigh once more, only with a rapid pace.

With a strangled gasp of anger, she let go of the sink, and backed up against the wall in rage. Shit, what was wrong with her?

With buckling legs, she walked out of the bathroom, and as she reached her bed, she hurriedly sat down, and fumbled after the little package with _antidote_,which should be somewhere in the sheets.

Frantically she bit down the pain; no sound breaking through her tightly pressed lips. She had no idea, if she could trust Itachi enough to do this, but somehow her agony overcame her rationality.

Her jade eyes held an unusual hazy color, while she fought with the package, her fury only seeming to grow tighter and bigger at the packages disobedience to her wishes. Finally, she untied it, and the raspy powder-like antidote fell onto her palm. Greedily, regardless of the amount she was using, she forced into her mouth. It covered her tongue like sand, and for a moment she couldn't breathe…

…until a cool force chilled through her body and washed away the _entire_ pain.

Her heavy breathing was the only thing heard in the room. With shock evident in her irises, she stared at her palm, which was covered with some of the antidote left. She blinked, just as a knock could be heard outside the door.

"Sakura-chan?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sakura came to her feet at Naruto's yell. Shaking her head, she smiled for some odd reason. Quickly straightening her hair and covering herself in a robe, she opened the door, and faced a blonde-haired male grinning cheerfully.

"Kaka-sensei told me to fetch you some breakfast", Naruto proclaimed, and Sakura blinked several times in confusion.

"He what?"

"Come on Sakura-chan, Sasuke and Kaka-sensei are already down eating breakfast", Naruto exclaimed and looked at her with equal confusion, before he motioned her to follow. With a yelp, she stepped back, as he grabbed for her robe, him not seeming to fully comprehend, what she was wearing.

Regardless of her friend's reaction, Sakura acted instinctually and smacked him down the floor. Sprawled on the floor Naruto could only mewl something incomprehensible. Sakura pointed an outstretched finger at him, as if she accused him of groping her.

"Naruto you idiot! I need to get dressed."

(-)

Sleepily Sakura greeted her team, as she sat down beside Sasuke, coincidence really, and looked at the faces around her. Naruto was stuffing himself with food, while Kakashi just silently read a _certain_ orange book. Sasuke had closed his eyes, the moment she sat down. She would have felt appalled at that specific gesture in her earlier years, but she had become to accept his view of things. In his world nothing as a girlfriend existed, and she respected that. Just as she respected Naruto's hunger for miso ramen 24/7, and Kakashi's addiction to that perverted book of his.

Kakashi lowered his book, to take a suspicious look at her.

"Something wrong Sakura?" he asked with his brows furrowed. Sakura shrugged and ran a hand through her pastel locks, in the process secretly rubbing her scalp and temple, to get rid of that pounding headache… Yeah, that was the only thing seeming not to go away…

"No, just a slight fever," she waved it of, and reached for the milk, and to her own horror she realized her hand shook badly, whether from anxiety or just plain exhaustion she had no idea.

However, unfortunately it wasn't let by unnoticed. Nothing about her ever was.

"You sure?" Naruto asked, as he swallowed down the mushy food. With a sigh, Sakura clenched her fist, and placed her hands in her lap thoughtfully. It was just the aftereffects from this morning. The antidote just needed time to reach out all the veins… _How the hell can you assume that? You don't even know a fucking shit about this antidote. It can very well be a poison, meant to kill you! _Inner Sakura shrieked desperately at her. Sakura bit her lip.

"Trust me, I'm fine, just a bit dizzy, that's all," she mumbled, feeling uneasy at this attention. Naruto just nodded and resumed his eating. Reluctantly, Kakashi let his eyes wander to the book once again. Sakura could judge herself, whether she was feeling fine or not… it was just a disappointment she wasn't ready to share her true health with them yet. That she so flawlessly just lied.

"Weren't we going to start the mission today?" Sasuke suddenly broke the silence, a tug of impatience lingering to his voice.

"You need to outline the shape of a plan, before acting it Sasuke," Kakashi sighed behind his book.

"Then lets do it," Naruto suddenly outraged with his normal energetic cheerfulness. He stood up so suddenly that the table rocked forward, making Sakura fume at her friend with a scowl. Sasuke sent him an annoyed glare. He turned around and looked at Kakashi, waiting for his opinion on the matter, but nevertheless it didn't come. Stupid book!

Angrily Sakura took the matter into her own hands, her being the most rational and responsible one left, when Kakashi was absorbed in that perverted Icha Icha Paradise.

"How about we split up and search for any connections between the Akatsukies and the people present within this area, before we move on?" she suggested, earning a cool glare from Sasuke, though he never disagreed. Naruto grinned at her.

"Sounds good Sakura-chan," he beamed. Sakura sent him a thankful smile.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Agonizingly slowly, Kakashi lowered the book to glare at his three students. Looking each of them in their eyes, he eventually nodded. Sakura found it a bit annoying, she was the one, who always had to organize this kind of things, when he was in "Icha-mode". He never even made the effort to give her just _some _credit for it.

Placing her chin in her palm, and resting her elbow on the surface of the dark, probably mahogany, table, she started brushing circles onto the surface with the pad of her index-finger, not really bothering she was the very essence of boredom at that moment. Why should she care either way? Suppressing a sigh, she heaved her gaze to glare at her teammates, but found one missing.

"Naruto?"

Frantically she glared around. He just couldn't be stupid enough to leave just like that, when they were going to start the mission, and then why hadn't Kakashi or Sasuke stopped him. Staring at the two males beside her, she found Sasuke glaring dryly at something behind her shoulder, and Kakashi arching one brow and shaking his head. With a frown, she turned around, only to see Naruto half-sprawled on top of the counter with the receptionist-like man behind.

"Hey kid, get of the counter!"

"_Naruto_"…_God damn you freaking moron, Naruto_, Inner Sakura mingled in on the gasp, light scold, from Sakura. Stumbling of her chair, Sakura quickly moved over to grab Naruto and force him back down from the counter. She never noticed the smirks from her other two teammates, and if she had… they would have been swept away in an instant.

Straightening her posture, Sakura smiled mildly at the man behind the counter, while Naruto pouted at her.

"Excuse my friend Mr., but we're-,"

"Have you seen any men in black cloaks recently?" Naruto burst in, and placed his palms on the counter, leaning forward until his nose was inches away the man's. Sakura growled.

"_Naruto_! We're konoha-ninjas, and are on a mission, so if we could ask you a question, or two, would that be okay?" she asked instead, her voice mild and smooth. She felt two familiar presences walk up behind her and Naruto, and was glad she at least had _some _support.

"I suppose little lady. When you ask so nicely…" the man retorted. Sakura gulped uncomfortably, "Erm… yeah…

"So have you seen any of those men?" Kakashi cut in with that lazy and bored, yet firm, voice of his. Sakura silently thanked him, and bit back the smirk, as the man suddenly turned pale. Whether Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, was known around here, Sakura didn't know, but it would seem so. The man coughed uneasily, and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

Naruto was literally shaking from excitement. Sasuke on the other hand looked even more bored than Kakashi, who at least was paying attention to the man. Even though the fact Sasuke looked oblivious, Sakura knew, he was listening intensely. He hadn't changed at all. He was still as cold and untouchable as the day Team 7 had formed itself.

"Actually there were two of those men you describe here yesterday," the man mumbled, and made her attention Sakura turn to him. Naruto's eyes widened, and Kakashi arched the one visible brow.

"You know where they were of to then?" he asked flatly. The man shrugged, "Probably the sou-"

"Did one of the men hide his eyes?" Sakura immediately bumped in, her face grimacing in slight worry. The thought had just hit her. This could just as well be Itachi. After that encounter, he had to be somewhere near. Naruto sent Sakura a surprised look, while Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. Kakashi didn't seem astonished, and simply let Sakura take over the conversation. The man had softened, so much for sure, and with the stern voice Sakura had brought up, Kakashi doubted the man had the guts to stay silent.

"As a matter of fact he did-"

"You noticed anything else special about that man?" Sasuke voiced up, and made Sakura blink in shock. She then pressed her lips together in determination, and glared at the fidgeting man.

"Well, he had this ring-"

"-Itachi…"

The name left her lips in a surprisingly gentle tone, which very much to her horror, actually was very close to the edge of sounding soft, and judging by the odd looks from her teammates, she could feel herself blush, but bit her lip and held her head high.

"What? Was that Uchiha Itachi?" The man suddenly outraged. Kakashi sighed.

"Sensei, this is a dead end, there's no purpose of going south, when it was just him," Naruto whined. Sakura stayed silent, as she was still in shock, and the slightly offended and suspicious look from Sakura piercing through her back, didn't made her recovery any better.

"But there were two men," Naruto nodded, but only made Kakashi shake his head with a smile, although Sakura was the one to step in.

"Yes, and we're searching for several men, and with Itachi being one of the men, there's only one man left, and that is probably just that shark-guy who always follows Itac-"

"Perhaps they were heading for their headquarter, and the missing-nins could be there," Sasuke interrupted Sakura's explanation, as if it had been nothing but a nuisance. Naruto frowned, but kept his mouth shut. Sakura blinked and angered, he had so easily swept her of, she placed a hand on her hip, and arched her brows at him. He glared at her.

"Why would banished Akatsukies stay at their headquarter, when the possibility they'll get killed is bigger, than if they were on the run?" she reasoned. Sasuke opened his mouth, but after a mere second he clamped it shut again, and crossed his arms. Sakura suppressed the smirk of victory, and simply let her inner mind beam.

"I agree with Sakura, but it's the only clue we got," Kakashi reasoned against Sakura. She glared at him, as if to make him understand her thoughts.

"… I…" _don't want to get near him_.

Naruto looked concerned at her, and Sakura cursed her sudden lack of determination and the fragile wavering in her voice.

"Sakura, this is our only track to follow," Sasuke literally snapped at her. Okay, she got the picture. He was pissed at her for a thing, she had no influence on. It wasn't she who had decided to have that encounter with Itachi. Why couldn't Sasuke get that into his fat skull?

Kakashi chose -for the time being- to ignore the unpleasant tension between Sasuke and Sakura, and instead nodded to the man as a sign of departure.

"Tomorrow we'll leave at dawn, be sure your things are packed and that you are ready to travel in full gear," he smiled at his students, and watched as Naruto walked of with Sasuke, up to their room. Naruto was scowling at Sasuke all the time. Sakura smiled at her friend's protectiveness of her.

She practically gasped and jumped up in the air, as a hand suddenly lay on her shoulder, and she glared up into her sensei's dark eye.

"Sakura, I want you to be careful tonight. If…anybody comes, then yell at Naruto or Sasuke," he said seriously to her, his tone forbidding any denials. Sakura frowned in confusion and narrowed her eyes, but Kakashi had already let go of her and was wandering towards the door. Why wouldn't he be there tonight? Suddenly shock hit her like a tidal wave, and she scrambled after her sensei.

As she reached him, she grabbed his sleeve tightly, and suppressed the urge to slap some sense into him. It was obvious, what he had in mind.

"You want to find the headquarter," she more like stated than asked. Kakashi remained indifferent and glared straightforward.

"Just be careful Sakura."

Sakura couldn't help but growl at him, as much in worry as in anger. He was just so stupid sometimes. This was Itachi for god's sake. If he was caught, then he was caught. Probably even _killed_. Hadn't he learned from his other fights with Itachi, that Itachi was the essence of supremacy?

"You _can't_ go find the headquarter all alone! I'll go with you-"

"-You stay here, and that's an order," he cut her of firmly, and jerked her hand of his vest. She glared at him in boiling anger. ¨

"_Sensei_, you can't-"

"Remember to call Naruto or Sasuke."

And with that… he simply took of… Leaving her _god damn_ alone with her fear of the night.

(-)

"No Naruto, I assure you it'll be fine. You don't have to sleep in here tonight", Sakura sighed for the fifth time. Naruto had been offering his company at night, just so he would be there if anything happened. Sakura of course refused, yet somehow she was tempted by the offer, but her pride wouldn't let her crawl down the ladder and end up at the big, fat, bold headline: _pity_.

Sasuke hadn't even talked to her, but then Naruto's kindness and childish protectiveness of her, made her forget about Sasuke's protection of her. When they were younger, both of them were protecting her. Now it was only Naruto.

Funny as it was, neither Naruto -nor Sasuke- had asked where Kakashi was heading, since Sakura was left alone. Perhaps they didn't care, but that surely wasn't it, or perhaps they just already knew. She doubted with Naruto. He probably just took it as it was. That was the great thing about him. He never wanted any deep explanation. He simply took things, as they now were. Sasuke on the other hand, liked to be in alert about what happened around him, so either Kakashi had told him too, or he could just figure it out, and was sure enough on his assumption, not to get it confirmed.

_He has always been that arrogant jerk_, Inner Sakura chirped loudly in her mind. Well, somebody had to tell the truth!

"But Sakura-chan, if he-"

"He's not going to come Naruto, and if he _does _I'll yell at you!" _but don't bet on it!_

Naruto was far from assured, and Sakura knew, but before he could protest, she literally tackled him out of her room, and shut the door, apologizing through it. She heard Naruto wander of mumbling something, obviously with a pout, before another door shut.

She drew in a breath of relief. The pain was coming again. She could feel, it was on its way. Her thigh pounded rapidly, and last time, that was the beginning of it all. Itachi had told her not to overdo it, but then… twice a day wasn't overdosing it… Was it? Or was she just getting too weak to handle some pain. Okay, it wasn't just _some_ pain. It was a pretty strong pain, but… from what Sakura had come to know, Itachi never said anything irrelevant, and if he said, she shouldn't overdo it, then shouldn't she take that warning seriously?

_**Argh**, why the hell couldn't that bastard just have said directly, how much I could take and not? It can't be that hard to form a coherent sentence!_ Inner Sakura fumed, with fire in her eyes.

Sakura bit her lip. Would it be tempting fate, if she really did take some of the antidote? It really had helped last time, and had left her body light and fuzzy.

Determinedly Sakura narrowed her eyes. Just a little bit couldn't hurt. Grasping the little package, she spread a fine layer of the velvety powder onto her palm. She glared at it, pondering whether it truly was worth taking it… it was like she was addicted to it. Shrugging, she quickly disregarded any doubt, and before any hesitation could occur, she let it all down her throat.

Heat enveloped her and sleepiness entered her body, a sudden heaviness pulling her down…

(-)

Bathed in sweat, Sakura's sore eyes fluttered open, her eyelids heavy with something alike drunkenness. A taste of bitter venom clung to her tongue like a layer of velvet, and she grimaced at the sickening feeling.

Shaking her head, she pulled herself up to sit, the covers sliding down her slightly trembling body and crumbling in her lap. With a groan, she placed a hand on her head, since the dull ache beneath her skull annoyed her relentlessly.

She blinked, impatient for her vision get used to the sudden flash of darkness in the room. Wait… The covers hadn't been draped over her, when she took the antidote, and why… why was she wearing her nightgown and not…

Panic hit her forcefully, and her eyes shot open, flickering around the room frantically. Without noticing, her hands fisted the soft cotton sheet in her lap and like some kind of feminine reflex, she draped up the sheet to cover her entire body, including her torso… _especially_ her torso…

Her eyes suddenly halted at a shadowed shape in the windowsill, and her lips parted.

He was sitting ever so casually, one leg hanging loosely down from the windowsill, while the other was slightly bowed, while the feet belonging to it, was planted solidly on the treelike material, and worked as some kind of support. His arms were crossed, his very own trademark, and his eyes closed, while his head inched downwards, and made his chin rest lightly against his muscled chest.

Sakura held her breath. Of course… Who else had she expected?

…Itachi

With his eyes closed and the heavy breathing passing his lips, Sakura first assumed him being asleep, but there _were_ limits of her foolishness. She bit her bottom-lip and tried to form a coherent sentence, but it only went out as stutters in her mind. Was he truly asleep? With a deep sigh Sakura forced herself to acknowledge his presence, while she subconsciously tugged the white sheet tighter to her body, almost making it appear like some skintight suit, or a second layer of skin…A very white cotton-like second layer of skin…

"Its rude to undress a lady without permission", Sakura proclaimed.

…Silence followed.

Anxiously Sakura found herself holding back her breath, as her face suddenly flushed. Perhaps that hadn't been the best thing to say as… _greeting_, though biting back the sudden rush of unease, she held her posture straight and untouched.

…Or so she thought, at least until the second his eyes battered open, and the deep crimson of his irises shone through the dark, and pierced straight through her defenses. If she had been standing, her knees would have turned liquid beneath her, and her body would've fallen limply to the floor, regardless of how much it would hurt.

Instead, her hand simply tightened around the sheet and wrinkled it, while she crawled further up against the headboard. Okay, in these situations, where she was being alone with a very much sadistic killer, it was all right to be scared… right?

"You were in no state of denial. Be happy I bothered to help you," Itachi said, as he let himself slide down the sill gracefully, landing on the floor soundlessly. Sakura watched in horror, as he completely noiselessly paced through to room, only to end up at the bed, where she was desperately fighting the urge to literally scream in anxiety.

That was until his words hit her, and a white-hot fire surged through her veins.

"_What_!"

_Can he be any more **insensitive**? A woman has her pride! _Inner Sakura shrieked in Sakura's mind. At the verge of sheer fury, Sakura was very much tempted to agree. She clenched her fist tighter around the sheet. If Itachi noticed her unease suddenly turned into rage, he didn't comment it. Not that he needed to. She was very much aware of it herself.

"You overdosed," he exclaimed flatly, and Sakura blinked. Overdosed?

"W-What?" she stuttered in complete confusion. Her rage chilled down considerable, at that odd remark, and for some reason, a shiver traveled down the length of her spine, as Itachi darted out his tongue to wet his lips. She shook her head slightly in anger at her being distracted too easily. Especially when that thick and dark lock of velvety hair slid down to cover his one eye, and when that elegant and slender finger reached up to remove that offending lock from his vision-

…

_**Get a grip, girl**! What the **hell** are you thinking!_

With a slight blush, Sakura refused to let her eyes wander to him, and instead she placed her fidgeting glare to the sheet.

"You overdosed the antidote," He stated once again, and she heard his cloak whiz in the air, as he shifted his weight to his left leg.

Sakura bit her lip once again, pondering whether she could give herself the pleasure of asking him just the one question, which had been wounding her tongue lately. Heat only added to her face, at the thought of herself actually trying to hold a conversation with the enemy… but… she just had that weird feeling, he knew the answers to all of this… especially since he granted her that antidote, for some just as odd reason.

Suddenly a flash of Sasuke thundered through her mushy brain, and illuminated the fog covering her rational mind.

This was Itachi… The one who had killed his very own family! Cold-blooded killed them…

Within a second, she had raised from the bed, the sheet still wrapped tightly around her.

She was about to actually run out of the room in a very dared attempt to escape, one doomed to fail from the very beginning, just as she felt Itachi's hand grasp her waist firmly just to spin her around and face the him, her back pinned to the hard bedpost. She couldn't force back the gasp of surprise, nor could she ignore the cold feeling rushing through her, as she felt him applying pressure against her throat with the tip of his sharp kunai. She bit back the almost audible panting of fear.

"…What is this, _Itachi_? _What_ is it!" she hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes avoiding his glare. A sadistic chuckle left his lips, and he let the kunai travel down her throat, and creating a red, pulsating mark, all way down to the sheet, which was resting above the swell of her breasts. She vaguely wondered, whether he actually would… cut all the way down, but surely, he respected her… dignity… didn't he?

"It's a cursed seal." He replied, breaking her thoughts. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and frowned in confusedness. Was he taking her for a joke? She was freaking superior in genjustu, and he actually…

"It can't be. I haven't seen-" she started to state in a firm and obviously too confident voice, since she was cut of short by him.

"It's a mind!"

Sakura's breath hitched, and against her will, she felt the unpleasant throbbing in her throat, indicating upcoming tears, despite her determined attempt not to break down… whether it was from rage or fear, she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"….God…What do you _want _from me Itachi? Isn't… _Sasuke_ enough for you? What do you _need _me for? Just let me leave- I-Ita_chi_."

He had done it. He had _actually_ had _the nerve_ to _do_ it. He had _fucking_ cut the sheet, the kunai now resting at the swell of her right breast. It didn't help either, that his callused fingers _accidentally_ brushed against her slightly damp skin, before retreated to grasp the kunai firmly. Sakura's lips quivered. This was too far. She had her limits, and this was excessively far.

Without thinking twice, or even thinking at all, her hand heaved itself on feministic instinct, and before Itachi could dodge it, she slapped him straight across his face, the sound clashing against the walls in the overwhelming silence

She watched in shock. He hadn't dodged it! He hadn't _fucking _dodged, like he was supposed to, and now she had _fucking_ hit him. Oh God, this wasn't good! Squeezing her eyes shut, Sakura breathed deeply through her parted lips, her hand shaking uncontrollably in the air. She yet had to move it, though it at still froze to the spot.

He was just staring at her. His eyes the same color of dark blood.

"I-I'm gonna scream." She stuttered senselessly, and inched her head farther away from him.

Wrong line.

"Scream for all I care, little kunoichi", he replied coldly, pressing the kunai deeper into her skin, a way of effectively shutting her weak and fragile threats off. Sakura bit back the whimper, trying to pass her lips.

And then, _completely_ unexpectedly – _completely_ out of the blue – _completely_ irrationally …

… he kissed her. Scorching warm lips covering hers in a fiery passion, in a soulful dominance. Something ignited within her, and blast through her body. As he molded his lips over hers, gently prying them open, and sensually coaxing her tongue into a sinful dance, she was left breathless, a limp body melting into his, bowing under to his desire.

She had hardly ever felt anything like this. The warmth surging through her veins, and heating up her damp skin, and the power that forced her to arch her supple body into the warm muscled male hovering above her and ravishing her into sheer oblivion.

Just the way his tongue caressed every cavern of her mouth and dominantly forced her to obey… it was impossible to fight, so… she let it happen. She let it all happen. Let it all wash over her, regardless of the later consequences.

Her pulse increased in speed, just as fast as her body warmed up her skin. She couldn't breathe in the mists of passion, ending up with a desperate muffled moan, vibrating into his mouth, and unfortunately-

_**Unfortunately**?_

- causing him to draw back sharply, as if he had burned himself.

Sakura was panting heavily and desperately fought for her breath, while her lips were swollen and pounding in a light ache.

Then, just as unexpectedly, as he had kissed her – ravished her thoroughly- he grabbed her neck harshly, and slammed her face-first down onto the floor, his own face void of any emotions… or bluntly just the usual expression he wore…

As she hit the hard floor with an earth-shattering force, a scream of pure agony left her lips, obviously alerting everybody within ten miles.

"Pathetic", he snarled. Sakura curled up on the floor, and forced her body to kneel, just as the door literally slammed open, and two familiar figures appeared in the doorway. Before she could scramble away to prevent it, Itachi grabbed her waist, and pulled her back tightly to his warm chest, the kunai once again pressed against her throat, and her facing Naruto and Sasuke. It dawned on her, Itachi actually used her as a human-shield… At that realization… shock washed over her…

"_I _have_ to kill him, do you understand Sakura? That's my purpose in life! I'm not going to let that slip away from me, not even for you. If you stand in my way, _I will kill you_!"_

Without knowing, she was trashing wildly in Itachi's arms in pure fear, forgetting about the kunai, and therefore earning a flick from the tip of it across her jaw. She instantly stilled, feeling the now itching wound, yet she couldn't keep herself from trembling in his grip.

He had kissed her… yet… he had hit her too…

"Sasuke… please," she heard herself whisper. Sasuke stared at her for a second, his words echoing in his own mind, and Sakura's hope faltered at the determination in his eyes. Naruto would never allow Sasuke to kill her in his blind rage of killing his brother… he wouldn't… However, could he even _stop_ Sasuke from doing it?

Sakura visibly paled. Not that she doubted Naruto's abilities – far from that- it was just… when involving his brother, Sasuke's power and strength just seemed to flood over.

_Kakashi-sensei, where the **fuck** are you, when you're needed you imbecile, perverted, **fucking** hentai_, Inner Sakura screamed wildly.

"So, little brother, do you have the strength is takes, to sacrifice the ones you hold dearest, to reach your goal?"

Within a heartbeat, Sasuke snapped, and the predator rose within him, though before his animalistic rage could bloom onto Itachi, he was suddenly gone in the flash of a shadow, and in the blur of a wind, letting Sakura drop to the floor on her knees.

Her eyes were only half-lidded, as if she were in some daze. Instantly Naruto rushed to her side, leaving Sasuke to clench his fists and growl in anger.

Some would call it a cowardly action, but in some weird kind of way, he had just saved her from Sasuke's outrage. She had been his shield, and he had fled.

Sakura grabbed the broken sheet in her hands and clutched it. With every sinister word he had spoken, Sakura had felt his breath sweep over her damp skin as if to torment her senses… intentionally… She could feel Naruto's hand on her shoulder, supporting her silently. She didn't dare look up. For some reason… she felt ashamed… throughout dirty… Her face still stung where it had hit the cold floor, and her skin itched from the coarse surface scratching her skin.

The vertical bruise across her jawbone throbbed.

"Sakura, did he hurt you?" Sasuke suddenly asked. The way he said it. Like… Like he was proclaiming: "Water is wet", or "Grass it green"… It _still _hurt…

"Sasuke… I'm... sorry…" _for being such a nuisance to you… to all of you…_

Why did it really hurt so much? She had always wished to be center of attention, but being the center of attention… in a bad way…

"Sakura-chan…You can sleep in our room?" Naruto suggested rather timidly. Maturity had made him understand there were times for seriousness and jokes. Those two things should always be separated, and right now… jokes weren't one of the best things to perform.

"... Okay… I'll sleep in your room," she smiled faintly. Letting Naruto support her the way up from the floor, she found herself debating whether or not, she should fear her next encounter with Itachi, because she knew for _sure_, she would spend much more time with him, than what she had done so far.

* * *

**_A/N:_** Okay… that kiss wasn't planned AT ALL. It just seemed like the best thing to do… Sorry, if you all hate me now… **laughs nervously… **

And about the hit after the kiss and the "pathetic"-line… Don't ask me, what it was about… I have no clue, why I wrote it, but frankly, I could just imagine Itachi being the right person to do that kind of thing… And somehow, I thought it would keep him in character…To make him Itachi-ish…

But if you wanna thank anybody for the kiss, thank **Miakoda13**. She wished ItachiSakura moments to float by…

Anyway, hate to say it, this chapter was a bit shorter, and I pondered whether to put in another scene, but somehow it would just destroy everything, so… hope it was still to satisfactory even though it was shorter…

Anyway, thanks to all of you for reviewing…

And to **selle18**, don't be nervous giving criticism. I need to now people's opinion…heh…

**And just to let you all know, just because Sakura has a thing for Itachi now, don't loose all hope… Feelings can always change to the other direction…(a little hint: read the summary)**

16


	3. Shifting Sides, Sakura?

**Title:** Fragility Of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**

**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

* * *

**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Three: Shifting sides, Sakura? **

_God, we're in deep shit here, _Inner Sakura wailed and tugged her hair frantically. Deep shit? No way! Of course, they weren't in deep shit. Being kissed by an enemy, not to mention slapped afterwards, wasn't deep shit, now was it?

The accusing glares from her teammates, where only doubling her uneasy feeling of guilt, but of course, they didn't know that _it_ happened. She cursed herself mentally. How could she had been so foolish, to let herself practically melt into it? It had just felt so easy to give in, and let the higher power control you, instead of always having to be so tense and in control, to be _oh so_ perfect, because that was what people thought of you.

To be what people pictured you to be. It was much easier said, than done…

It was, as if she was being rebellious to her life. Like she was betraying the image, she had held since her childhood. "The little _inexperienced_ girl having a crush on the last surviving Uchiha". She hated it. She hated it _so_ much. Why couldn't they just step out and tell her, she was a pathetic excuse of a ninja, focusing more on love than on the loyalty to her home.

Oh, right, she forgot. It was because she was to _weak_ to comprehend it At least not without breaking into tears. When had she last cried? When had she last cried _officiall_y? That's right. For years hadn't she cried, and only in the try of making people acknowledge her as a strong ninja, not that she was exceptionally strong, but she sure as hell wasn't weak anymore.

She was just average, but that often tended to stay forgotten, when she was compared with her teammates, which were pretty much _above_ average, with Kyubi and the sharingan as backup.

When she was being in Itachi's presence… she felt, like she meant something. Like she wasn't worthless anymore, yet it frightened her.

She didn't feel _safe_, but he still didn't frighten her, like he was supposed to. With all those tales she had heard about him, not to forget her team's encounters with him, she should picture him as some cold-blooded monster. The only problem was…

…she didn't…

They were sitting in Sakura's room in an awkward silence. Naruto, Sasuke and her. It was morning. The night had been calm and silent afterwards Itachi's departure, although Sakura had a hard time trying to sleep.

Her body had been pounding with adrenaline, which is by the way still was, and the memory of his soft lips against hers, was everything but easy to forget. He had been… well, not gentle, but he hadn't been… forceful… not like she had imaged, he would be…

_Ha, I knew you had dreamt of him kissing you_, Inner Sakura beamed in victory, and danced inside Sakura's head. Sakura blushed, before blocking of her inner mind. Now was not the time to ponder about some hidden desire.

_Hidden desire?_ Inner Sakura once again chirped. Sakura shook her head. She just _had _to stop thinking this much.

"What happened?" a voice suddenly jerked Sakura back to reality. Naruto practically feel of the bed, and Sasuke instantly posed for fight.

Kakashi was sitting at the window, perfectly balancing on the sill with his feet. He didn't look thrilled. More like bored. Apparently had hadn't had any luck, but then… he always masked his emotions, so it was hard to judge by his face-expression, whether he had been lucky or not, though lucky wouldn't be the correct word for it.

He didn't look like he was upset either, nor like he was in pain or anything, and he surely didn't have any wounds. He just looked… normal…

"Itachi came again. He attacked Sakura. He hit her," Sasuke replied, after falling back onto the bed. Naruto had a harder time scrambling of the floor and into the bed once again.

Sakura basically hadn't moved ay all. She didn't have to look at Kakashi, to know his concern. Neither did she listen to his plain voice. He was concerned… no matter how much he tried to mask it. That was just him. Always masking his emotions.

"Oh."

_That's it! **Oh**? What the fuck is that for a thing to say. I could've been fucking dead by now! _Inner Sakura raged.

Okay, she had been prepared, he wouldn't sound concerned or worried. She had been prepared, he wouldn't rush to her side and hold her in comfort. She had been prepared, he wouldn't bother enough to ask for details, but she sure as hell hadn't been prepared for an _oh_!

With a violent jerk, she stood up with her fists clenched and her teeth gritted.

This wasn't anger. It was frustration. Frustrated that _none_ of them showed enough concern about her well-being. Sasuke only cared about killing his brother. Kakashi was pretty much only focused on the mission, very harshly spoken though, while Naruto was… well, he _was_ caring about her, but even though he cared enough for her, he couldn't fill in the worry and concern, supposed to be radiating but instead lacking from Sasuke and Kakashi.

They never noticed her, when she was god damn weak and worthless, but now when _Itachi _showed interest in her, they still didn't acknowledge her for _anything_. How could they be so… so… so much worse than Itachi himself? At least he had been at her side when she had overdosed, and had apparently done _something_ to save her.

He had fucking bothered to care. Uchiha Itachi had fucking cared, when her freaking teammates - supposed to care - had _not_.

If that wasn't enough to be bothered about, then what _fucking_ was?

Kakashi arched one eyebrow at Sakura.

"_That's_ what you have to say? _Oh_! He could've _killed _me," she hissed, her eyes closed and her breathing coming out in angry pants. Kakashi was on thin ice, and he knew, Sakura was frightened. She could hide it from Sasuke and Naruto, but not from him.

He had seen her enough times frightened, to know this was her reaction. She fought to be strong, when she was just as emotional, as a woman in labor was. It was a fact. It couldn't be fought. It couldn't be defeated.

She _was _emotional, so why hide it? Those emotions could easily mold into fitting any circumstance, she would encounter, but instead she fought so hard to fight it down and kill it.

It was part of her, and she was hurting that part of herself.

Kakashi closed his visible eye, and leaped down from the still, leaning himself against it as he crossed his arms casually over his chest.

Perhaps that _oh_ hadn't been the best thing to say, but he hadn't expected her to react this strongly, and now her body was literally shuddering from fury. She was such a petite person, yet she held so much potential. She just refused to let that strength cut through the barrier holding it back from reaching the surface.

"He didn't," Kakashi then stated. Sakura blinked. Then hell dawned on her.

"_What?"_

Kakashi sighed, "Don't dwell on the past Sakura. What happened, happened!"

She was staring at him in pure shock, so was Naruto and even _Sasuke_. They were glaring like had he grown another head. Sakura's rage had soothed into confusion. She could only blink at him… several times…Then she scowled, and narrowed her eyes at him, the rage surfacing again. She pointed at him.

"The heck with that load of shit, I was in freaking danger, and you just brush it of, saying its _nothing_? Let me remind you here, I'm your freaking student, and you're god damn supposed to care and protect me-"

"What really happened, Sakura?"

"And then you just- H-Huh?"

Kakashi stared at her. She was shuddering so badly, and her eyes were starting to moisten ever so slightly. This wasn't just a mere _hit_. Something else had happened. Something only Sakura would react this strongly to.

He narrowed his eyes, and stepped closer to her. Her hands fidgeted at her sides, and uncomfortably she crossed them over her chest. All rage had blown out of her, at his question. Did he know? Was it that obvious? No, it couldn't be. Sasuke and Naruto hadn't noticed, but then if they had, they could just have chosen not to voice it, but then why would they do that? It couldn't be because of fear, they wouldn't ask her. So much for sure. In addition, the fact they were glaring at her now, made her pretty much believe, that they hadn't noticed.

Kakashi was still staring intensely at her, "what happened?"

"I just told you-"

"_What_ happened?"

She hesitated. For some bloody reason, she lost her composure, but only for a second. Then it all came back to her. The rage, the anger, the shame… everything collided within her, and transformed into courage and determination. If she wanted to keep it a secret, then she god damn _could_ do it.

This time she wouldn't let them _win _over her. _Definitely_ not!

Sasuke and Naruto was eagerly following the conversation, not sure whether they were allowed to break into the silence or not, although they never got a chance to, since in that second, Sakura placed her hands on her hips and heaved her chin.

"He hit me, _that's_ what happened," she defiantly stated, despite the slight wavering in her voice. Kakashi sighed lightly and shook his head, yet Sakura kept up her composure. Naruto was the one to actually act upon her words. He stood up, and crossed his arms, looking at Sakura judgingly. She suppressed the urge to just run away from it all. Even Sasuke seemed to doubt her words, and _that_ was something left behind to wonder about.

Sakura let her gaze drift away from her teammates.

"You don't get upset just over a _hit_, Sakura-chan," Naruto reasoned stubbornly with some childish attitude. Sakura bit down her tongue, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to remind her of the task at hand. The task where everything counted on her appearance.

As if to comfort her Naruto placed a hand on her arm, which she, without second thought, jerked away from her roguishly. Naruto frowned and stepped a few steps backwards. Sasuke arched one brow.

"Naruto is right, Sakura", Kakashi stated and uncrossed his arms, and instead dug them down his pockets, still leaning his back up against the wall in that lazy manner. Sakura clenched one fist and closed her eyes tightly, still not wanting to look directly at them, but instead having her back turned to them… which probably wasn't the best thing to show strength, it rather screamed _coward._

"What the hell do you know about that?" she growled, thought not really wishing to act like this. Kakashi wasn't the one frustrating her, even though he sometimes could be a royal pain in the ass…

"I'm not your teacher through several years for nothing, Sakura," Kakashi exclaimed, sounding utterly bored. Sakura bottled up her anger, and took a deep, calming breath. She was overreacting. At that point, they were right. A hit had never upset her like this, and if she didn't calm down soon, they would surely know something… less unpleasant… had happened, proving her wrong and marking her as a liar.

"This is way of the point-"

"He did something worse, didn't he?" Kakashi interrupted her attempt, which should've gained her a short pause to think.

_God, you're pathetic Sakura. Grow a spine or something!_ Inner Sakura grumbled.

Sakura nervously ran a trembling hand through her hair. The pain was present again, and made her thigh pound uncomfortably. Soon it would spread even further.

"…No, he just hit me," she muttered.

Somehow, that statement had been the final word in this conversation. It wasn't that she had meant it to be. It didn't even sound like the "end-of-discussion"-tone Kakashi was so fond of using. It had just been a plain and flat tone… mixed with confusion… and frustration… Okay, perhaps it hadn't been that plain and flat, but it hadn't been anywhere near stern, nor firm.

Naruto then let out a huff: "Kaka-sensei, shouldn't we do something? Like hunting him down-"

"We already have a mission-"

"Which still leads us to the headquarters, where he presumably already is," Sasuke burst in, oddly enough being at Naruto's side. Sakura was a bit shocked at that, but then… this was his desire to kill Itachi that spoke, not his desire to protect _her_ by killing _Itachi_… which she doubted was even possible, since _Kakashi_ had never been able to defeat him…

Naruto was shocked too. He glared openly at Sasuke, who slowly stood up from the bed. Kakashi looked at his two male students, especially Sasuke. He knew, Sasuke was just eager to gain opportunity to kill Itachi, even though, frankly spoken, he didn't stand a chance against his brother… yet…

"It's still not the main priority-"

"The hell with that," Naruto scowled. Kakashi looked at him, then Sasuke. As if on cue, Sakura looked up just the second Kakashi let his gaze wander of to her: "Sakura, do you by any means feel threatened by Itachi so far?"

Sakura blinked at that exact question. It was the one and only question, she couldn't answer. Not that she had a hard time doing it. She just couldn't place any words on it. That strange sensation when he was near, wasn't one made by fear or likely.

"Well, he did hit me…" she started insecurely, debating with herself whether she was just being ridiculously idiotic right now or not.

"But?"

_Just tell them silly girl! Why is it you can't just tell them, and get it over with? _

"…He doesn't intimidate me… not… that way at least…"

_Way to go Sakura_, Inner Sakura snorted sarcastically. Sakura forced her inner mind to be silent, since she was horrified enough herself by what, she had just confessed. Praying they would just ignore the last part of it, she found her pulse rapid and anxious, and her breathing irregular. Her thigh was throbbing by now, but it was more like a… warm and pleasant throb, unlike the one that signified the pain's arrival.

She frowned in confusion, and felt like rubbing the sore spot that itched on her thigh. What the heck was now wrong with her? There were just so many things…it was so hard to comprehend before something entirely new appeared.

Sakura yelped, as she was brought back to reality, by a harsh tug at her arm. Sasuke was towering above her, "_that way_?"

"Sakura… What _did_ he do-"

"Nothing for _you_ to worry about!"

As if on cue, everybody spun around in pose for fight to face the very subject of the argument.

Kisame and Itachi were standing in the room, both clothed in their cloaks, which hung heavily down the dusty floor. Their faces were in shadows, their eyes illuminated by the lamp above. Kakashi suddenly seemed alerted, and pushed his body of the wall. Sasuke was gritting his teeth, while Naruto was intensely observing the two men. Sakura…

Well…

She was paralyzed in every fiber of her body, and was barely breathing, as a sudden wave of warmth rushed through her and left her skin damp and fevered. The ghostly touch of the gentle and ravishing pressure on her lips, flamed up her presence. She couldn't focus her eyes on anything else but the supremacy glowing around that one specific man, who shook her very being. Her lips parted to draw in an audible breathing, and her eyes plastered themselves to him.

That was when his eyes locked with hers…

Horrorstricken she froze. The aching in her thigh itched its way upward, and centered its heat _in between_ her thighs. Her cheeks flamed even more if possible, and she was sure, she was beyond blushing like a tomato.

Those lips of his… how could they torment her so horrifyingly?

And he was just standing there… just standing not doing a shit, and still he affected her. Still he electrified her body and fevered her skin to the point, where it could actually start boiling.

_God no Sakura! God **fucking** no! Just not that. Everything but that… you don't… **shit**! _

Naruto was suddenly in front of her, blocking her view of Itachi, and somehow sense managed to break through the barrier of numbness in her mind. Her legs felt like liquid, but determinedly she kept up her body.

Sasuke was about to advance the two Akatsukies, but Kakashi held him back with a hand on his shoulder. Oddly enough, Sasuke obeyed and planted his feet solidly on the ground. Kakashi nodded his approval, and then focused on Itachi.

"What do you want with her?" Kakashi practically demanded to know. Kisame chuckled dryly, and shook his head in sarcasm, "that is Itachi's business."

Sakura was vaguely aware, she was the topic of this little exchange of words, but she really couldn't care less. The throbbing in her leg had turned from painful to something pleasant.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and cast a quick glance towards a frozen Sakura behind Naruto.

Naruto was protecting her… once again… Sasuke on the other hand, only seemed to have eye on Itachi, his eyes dark with hatred and disgust. Not to blame him of course. This had been his goal his whole life, and revenge was a hard thing to just casually sweep away. Especially when it involved death, and Kakashi spoke of experience at that matter.

Nevertheless, Sasuke should've enough sensibility to know Sakura was the one in danger at the moment, and for once he wasn't the center of Itachi's attention. If he had ever been that in the first place. Kakashi doubted that. Itachi had never taken Sasuke for anything, just as a mere hindrance to the family, yet he had apparently let him live, because he hoped one day to get some real competition. Though as it looked now, with Itachi's strength and experience still growing, and Sasuke younger, with lesser strength and lesser experience… that day where Sasuke would defeat Itachi, or just compete with him as equals, was far, far away in the distance.

Sasuke's fists clenched, and his jaw tensed. Kakashi suppressed the sigh threatening to leave his lips. Why was it Sakura should endure this?

"And Sakura-chan is our-" Naruto hissed, but was cut of by an oddly enough calm-sounding Kakashi. Or at least calm-on-the-outside Kakashi. Inside he was pounding with adrenaline, no reason to deny that.

"Don't act foolish," he warned, his eyes fixed on Itachi and Kisame. Itachi yet had to speak. He had let Kisame word his thoughts so far, but somehow Kakashi found it highly doubtful Kisame would ever now the real intention of Itachi's.

_I have to end this… I have to know **what** it is… But **how**… _Inner Sakura debated.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly and bit her bottom-lip, tresses of her pastel hair covering her eyes. She was being protected again. As always. Cursing her uselessness, she let her thoughts wander.

"So, little brother, do you have the strength is takes, to sacrifice the ones you hold dearest, to reach your goal?"

"Sakura, did he hurt you?"

"Sasuke… I'm... sorry…"

…for being such a nuisance to you…

**to all of you**…

"Itachi!"

Her voice sliced through the tension in the room, and within a second, everything was utterly silent. Everybody's eyes fixed on her. She hesitated. Suddenly all courage left her, and her outrage from before suddenly seemed risky, yet something told her this had to be done. She couldn't back out now. This was where everything counted. In this second.

She could _not _turn back!

Lifting her chin defiantly and with stubbornness and pride in her eyes, she gently pushed Naruto aside. Taking a deep breath, she took a glance at Naruto, who seemed purely confused

With steady and stern steps, she advanced Itachi, ignoring the confusion radiating from her team.

The closer she came him, the more powerful the throbbing became.

Two steps away from him, she stopped, trying to calm down her irregular breathing and pants. Then frowning away her uneasiness, if you could call it that, she stared him directly into his eyes… and felt chills roll down her spine. Kisame was watching her intensely, as if he feared, she would jump on Itachi, and then he should help his friend… comrade… as if Itachi would need any help defeating _her_.

Itachi…Please Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi… forgive me this… just this once forgive me this! 

Itachi stared a bit provocatively at her, since her hesitation became clearer and clearer. Shaking her head once, Sakura eventually gathered the necessary courage.

"Lets strike a-a… a deal."

For the first time ever… Itachi was shocked straight to the bone. As was Sakura's teammates. Sasuke actually gaped, Naruto fell to the floor, and Kakashi, for once, was actually dumbfounded.

"_What_! Sakura! What are you-"

"I'm listening kunoichi," Itachi finally voiced, and interrupted Naruto. Sakura shyly let her gaze wander of to the ground, ignoring the reaction from her friends behind her, thought it wasn't that hard. Actually, it was pretty easy only needing to concentrate on _him_.

Sakura nodded, and bit her lip shortly, before choosing her words with care.

"You do… whatever you need to do… with me, and leave my comrades alone! _All _of them. It's strongly agreeable and benefiting for both parts! The only condition I have, is that you tell me everything about this… this seal!"

She was on dangerous ground. Daring to place any conditions without being sure how desperately he was in need for her.

Itachi glared at her. He could clearly see her fragile form tremble with fear, though the determination blazing in her jade eyes made him doubt, whether it was from fear or something else.

She was breathing hard, almost panting. He narrowed his eyes slightly, while never taking his cool gaze of her.

When he had… kissed her, _only_ out of instinct, he had felt that strange power surging through her. It had somehow coaxed his chakra to… mingle with it, and create some odd electrifyingly flash of… something…

Itachi suppressed the growl from his chest. It annoyed him to _no end_. He just couldn't figure her out. The seal was made only with the intention of making an easy entrance to her thoughts, but it shouldn't do more than that. Was this an unknown side effect? Or had it something to do with the chakra slumbering within her. Did the seal awaken her full potential, her full chakra, when he got in close contact with her? When they shared… bodily closeness?

All he knew for sure, was the closer they got, by touches, the closer the bond between them would grow in strength, which meant, when he would be near her, the pain would soothe, and instead get… pleasant…

Fortunately, that fact benefited him. When she would acknowledge the pain would soothe in his presence, she would most likely try to be near him, since the antidote didn't give any pleasant throb.

It simply just killed the unpleasant one…

Yet…

It was so… confusing. Something was just plain wrong about her, when their presences mingled.

"It is a deal."

She hadn't much time to voice her relief, as the whiz of a razor-sharp kunai strode pass her left ear. With ease Itachi dodged it in one swift motion, and before Sakura could act upon anything, Itachi grabbed her and pulled her to him, her back against his warm chest…

This seemed familiar…

…only this time that pleasant throb was indicating its presence an entirely other place.

Suddenly Itachi and Kisame took of the ground, and towards the window. A gasp left her parted lips, and instinctively her fingers clutched the nearest steady material, which happened to be Itachi's cloak. As they slid out the window, and out into the brightness of the morning, she could do nothing but curl up in Itachi's grasp, and watch her comrades – her friends – stare in shock after her.

What the hell had she just agreed to? What the hell had she just suggested?

She had sold herself… to save them… but they would search for her now… and get in danger… and then Itachi would have to defend himself, when they would try to save her from him, and then he would kill them, breaking the deal…

But then, Itachi was a man of pride and honor. He wasn't the type to break a deal, or a promise.

However, how would he defend himself then? By using her as a shield? He had done before…

Closing her eyes, Sakura surrendered to the comfortable darkness, snuggling closer to the only source of warmth within reach….

(-)

Watching the two men sitting down at the table, completely oblivious to her presence, Sakura felt her eyes burn with rage. Hadn't they just agreed to the deal? Agreeing to a deal, meant the two persons were allies, or at least on the way to become, and then they treated her, like was she a spider on the wall.

Letting out an offended huff, she crossed her arms, and turned around in her search for something to sit on, though a sudden harsh grip at her arm prevented her from doing exactly so. With a gasp, she spun around to face Itachi. All of a sudden, she felt shorter than ever before. He hovered supremely above her, him being the dominant one and she being the victim of his wrath.

The warm rush, now slightly familiar to her, electrified her body, and much to her humiliation and shame, her knees buckled shortly, before she steadied them, as the stubborn person she was.

"What the _hell_ is this- this thing you do to me? I know it's a cursed seal, but what the hell does it do? Why do I fell like this, when you… touch me?" she slowly trailed of, her courage suddenly lacking. In the background Kisame was watching with interest… pissing of Sakura in the process…

She had basically just confessed Itachi's touch did something to her, and being the innocent girly type, she felt her face flush. Itachi knew the fact she felt _something_, but to be honest… he had been nice to her. He hadn't touched her _any _places it was possible the seal could be activated from, so actually if this tingling sensation, he knew, she doubtlessly felt, was enough to fluster her so and intimidate her… then she would get a hard time later on.

With a shrug, he let go of her arm, and she stumbled a few steps backwards. A faint smirk tugged the corners of his lips, before it vanished.

_God Sakura… this is a complete mess…And that shark-guy is just watching as if its amusing_, Inner Sakura huffed exaggerated. Running a hand through her hair, and then rubbing her arms, Sakura found her body quivering from cold. Nervously she glanced at Itachi, and bit her lip. Then she hardened her posture and coughed, gaining the attention she wished.

"Uhm, could I perhaps… get a blanket or something?" she asked timidly in an attempt to act kindly, although all she got was blank looks.

"I mean… Its pretty cold, and I don't have that cloak-thingy, so…"

Once again all she received was arched brows and bored looks. Angrily she sighed.

"Could I just get a freaking blanket?"

Kisame readied himself to stand up, scaring the shit out of Sakura, but was temporarily stopped by Itachi with a simply glare from him. With a scowl Kisame sat down, and glared threateningly at Sakura.

"You better watch your mouth kunoichi. Itachi-san may have taken a liking to you, but it would be wise not to tempt fate."

Sakura suppressed the rage inside, and instead she let her gaze wander of to a blank spot on the wall, sadness suddenly overwhelming her. Biting her lip, she forced back the tears threatening to fall. She was done crying. She had never cried before. She stopped years ago, and she god damn could force this stupid sadness away. This was her wish. She had fucking agreed to it and if she backed out, she truly _was_ weak. Listening to the hushed voices from Itachi and Kisame, she let her back lean against the wall, and hugged herself tightly, while she closed her eyes.

_Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi… Please stay away… Just let me handle this on my own. I need to do this. Why is it you just can't let me develop? Why wont you let me wander on my own, create my own path to follow. Naruto…you have your way of a ninja… I never got the chance to create mine… _

Eventually she opened her eyes, and stared directly into Itachi's eyes. She let out a startled gasp.

_Wait… Did Kisame just leave?… Oh god **fucking** no!_

"When the male that put the seal on you, comes in contact with a specific area of your body, he will be able to hear your thoughts," Itachi spoke in that deep and husky voice of his.

Sakura blinked frantically. She was too flustered to actually comprehend, he was answering her former question. Shit, if he got any closer, she would faint from dehydration. Not even the worst fever she had had, could compare to this kind of warmth heating up her blood and _especially_ her flaming face.

She couldn't stop openly glaring at him in awe. He might be the evil one, but the evil ones didn't necessarily have to have deformed faces, with several scars marking the skin… which he definitely hadn't. Not that she minded scars. They only showed strength. Or at least she thought… since she had none…

Slowly she forced her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gasp, as he choose that specific moment, to let his knees hit the floor, and let his palms rest against the wall on each side of her head.

His body was literally bent above hers.

_Fuck… Okay, he is doing this because of that damn seal. He just said it had to be activated by the touch of the male that created it… **fuck**! **He **created it. That was why Kisame left. God, Sakura, what the hell do you do now? _

"Whe-where is that spot?" she stuttered out hurriedly in her fear of Itachi starting to touch her, and let that warmth consume her fully. Itachi arched one brow, and though she had hoped her plan would work, it appeared it did not.

His one hand came to rest at her neck, and intertwine with her hair. Sakura cut of her yelp, as he roughly forced her head backwards, and made her body arch into his.

_**Wait**! We're on the floor, and he's not wearing that cloak! When the hell did that-_

Her thoughts was cut of, as she felt his other arm encircle her back, as it arched, and that one arm pulled her flush with the solid mass of muscle above her. A strangled sound, much like a throughout moan, penetrated her silent exterior.

"There is no common place," he mouthed in a hushed voice. Sakura felt her body shake, and the sensation in her thigh was on the verge to be actually painful. Afraid that his mouth would start doing otherwise than talking, she blurted out random question, which she would without doubt forget afterwards.

"Any male can make it?"

She felt him chuckle, and found her eyes closing themselves much to her annoyance.

"No, the ability comes with the bloodline's supremacy!"

All the while he spoke, he inched closer to her, until she could feel his calm breathing on her damp skin, and before Sakura could ask another random question, he decided to take out the _heavy_ armory.

His lips on her damp skin.

Tantalizingly his warm lips brushed the skin on her neck in a light caress, and then, as if tempted by the softness of smoothness of her moist flesh, the light slide of his lips developed to a firmer pressure melting against her skin like wax in a flame.

His hand was still at her neck and forced her head to arch backwards and exposing her slender throat. A chance Itachi unfortunately discovered, as he let his now moist lips slide across her throat, and up to her ear, where he nibbled on the sore skin, as was he testing candy-flavored flesh.

The large hand on her neck tugged her dress. Their bodies fit perfectly together, as her mouth parted and a muffled mewl slid pass her lips, followed by the arch of her spine. His body was grinding sensually up against hers and left her skin fevered and damp. She was dizzy. Her head spun and the warmth made her pant heavily. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her pulse was erratic and rapid.

Oddly enough, Itachi had that same thing in mind, as he let go of her sore earlobe and found her erratic pulse. A smirk crossed his lips and he lightly kissed the pounding skin, before attaching his lips firmly to the skin, his teeth creating pulsating red marks on her soft skin.

Suddenly Sakura's eyes snapped open. What was she doing? She was… actually letting him do… this

"_No_- no, Itachi, let _fucking _go of me", she shrieked in a breathless voice, though she lay limp in his grasp. Itachi relentlessly kept on tasting her skin, and tugging at her dress, his muscled body creating friction against her petite one. Her dress had inched further up her leg, and was exposing a good amount of highly sensitive skin.

With a low chuckle, Itachi pushed her legs apart with his knee to get better access to her. Then he removed the arm from her back, and she fell back against the floor. Itachi steadied himself with his elbows on the ground, and his lithe body covering hers like a second layer of skin.

"Do you feel this?" he asked in a husky voice.

Sakura squirmed at the contact of their warm and sweaty bodies, and her eyes widened. Embarrassed she covered her chest with her arms, and made Itachi let out a snort. Leaning his weight on his left arm, his right hand slid up to brush temptingly against the flesh of her throat.

"Where is it strongest?" he asked once again.

"Where is _what _strongest?" Sakura hissed, but instantly hushed herself, as his hands encircled her throat, and threatened to cut of air. Inching down Itachi bit her jaw, hard enough to draw a small amount of blood, which he licked away with sensual swipes of his tongue. Mindless whimpers left Sakura's dry mouth.

"You wished this deal kunoichi. I advise you to cooperate, or else it will crumble," he muttered against her jaw, just as his hand resumed to caress her throat, only this time moving dangerously close to the swell of her breasts.

"…my thigh," she whispered in surrender. Itachi smirked and kissed her jaw.

"That will do for now", he suddenly stated in a plain and firm voice, and before Sakura could comprehend what was happening, his body left hers in one swift motion. She glared in total confusion, as he watched her ravished form blankly, before turning around and leaving into the room - where Kisame went - without a single word to her.

The door closed, and left Sakura speechless.

_Did he just… manipulate with me_… _And I… let him do it!_

_Sakura you idiot. You're not a whore, so quit acting like one. Next time kick him right in the groin_, Inner Sakura reasoned in her head.

Sakura sighed. She should do, the only problem was, they had made a deal…

…and besides…

…she couldn't.

* * *

**A/N:** DAMN, this chapter practically _blurted out of me_. I was typing so fast my fingers hurt. All those sentences in my head just came out to quickly to write down in any sensible order. 

And okay, I just had to put them together now. I know it's early, but I had a hard time making scenes with the two of them (which I'm sure you want me to) when they weren't stuck the same place, and I didn't want to make Itachi a stalker…though the idea could be fun!

Anyway, if you want to just ask me any question you have!

**Review responses:**

**SatuAka: **Yep, it was short, and sorry to disappoint you there, but this one was short too! Anyway, reviews give me inspiration and motivation, so thanks that you bothered to review. Lesser and lesser people do that nowadays. They just think others do it… Okay, I'm not exactly good at reviewing too, so I'm kinda one of "the bad guys" but nah, I think I'll learn to remember it a some point! Heh…

**Kaitou angel:** I sense that you like my fic! Heh, just kidding, apparently you're one of my most eager reviewers, and I just got soooo happy reading your review! And… if you want me to read your fic, I'll gladly do, and if you don't… TOO BAD, I'M STILL GOING TO! )

**XUchihaSerenaX** Glad you like me story… I liked your review, so we're even now! Thanks by the way…

**jennjennr: **I'm relieved you say it kept him in character. I was afraid of that one thing. Its hard to make Itachi like this, and still keep him in character. I constantly have to have in mind he's not a gentle person unless its required, so I can't make him kiss her without reason. Without a very **good** reason! It's hard.

Did I create drama? Whoa, I never thought I could do that!

Oh, and thanks for pointing out mistakes! I can _always _improve!

Glad you like the plot. It just came to me, since I thought Sakura would never really like Itachi for real (though it can still change in my world) but then her emotions could perhaps change, if she was under some spell/seal…and then Sasuke's cursed seal came to my mind, and I created this one!

Then I just had to make it have sense, and making her the target for information, it would just fit so well, since Naruto like Sakura and Itachi wants Kyubi.

Okay, I'm gonna quit writing now… I've written much… Heh… The last thing: VERY MUCH THANKS!

**Soph:** Oh, you make me blush... It's not that good. Is it? Anyway, I'm relieved the kiss and the line fit the story…I just wouldn't make the story too romantic and such, because that's just not Itachi-style! At least not in my opinion.

**sillymail:** Thankies!… weird word… )

**Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiob...** Woot(ing) me are we? Heh, thanks for the woot!

**miaka54321**: Oh, well then I'm glad you read it… I take it you like it or what?

**Midnight-Miko66**: Updating soon…. Updating soon…I Guess, I just have! You're the second one liking my plot. Thanks! I spent a hard time figuring it out into last detail. I _should_ fit. Good stories have to have a tangled plot! Heh.. Itasaku? It would seem its going to be!

**Firefox: **Wow, that was a complimenting review… I'm honoured you like it that much! I made your heart beat? Wow, the first time ever I've done that to someone!Glad you liked the kiss-scene. It was hard to make and keep it in Itachi-style, but eventually it did work out for me… Or at least I hope it did… Did it?

**PowerfulMind**:…Okay, I say it now: I dislike Sasuke at the moment. Don't know why. Usually I like him, but… That's why I'm pretty mean to him.

Cruel to play with a woman's emotion… INDEED IT IS! FINALLY SOMEBODY UNDERSTAND ME!

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

**Anyway, please review out there**

**-Frozzy**


	4. You Can’t Fool Me! Pt 1

**Title:** Fragility Of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

* * *

Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? (Main: ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku)

* * *

_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Four: You Can't Fool Me! (Pt 1)**

Naruto pouted childishly, being stubborn as he was, while Sasuke was oblivious to the world, sitting at the table with closed eyes and a slight frown. Kakashi hadn't even touched his stupid book yet. His sign of being worried of course.

Okay, perhaps this wasn't the luckiest thing to happen. And why had she given, or more like _sold_, herself to Itachi so carelessly? Did she actually wish to be near that… that _man_, as horrifyingly a thought that now was, although you couldn't help but wonder her sudden change in attitude towards Itachi. She used to spit out his name with venom, and her eyes would pierce through him like acid. What had changed her so? She didn't even seem bothered about him. At least not as much as before.

Yes, she truly did use to hate Itachi, but then she had only hated him that strongly, because her feeling for Sasuke had been that strong, as they now had been, though now when her feelings towards Sasuke had faded away, her hatred towards Itachi had apparently done exactly the same. Even though, when thinking about it, Itachi had still done some pretty awful things towards them, so in fact, she _should_ hate him.

But then… she was a female… and no male could ever figure out a female's mind.

Involuntarily Kakashi couldn't help but smirk slightly. Oh yeah, and Sakura was one _hell_ of a woman. A woman with a temper as hot as boiling water, when reaching its peak. And as usual, Naruto had always been the one to receive that temper in fists.

Opening his one eye, Kakashi neatly rested his chin in his palm and stared at Sasuke, who was grumbling silently, not seeming to care he was being watched. Very unusual actually, now that Kakashi thought about it.

Naruto on the other hand made no attempt to hide his concern and worry. Not that it was a bad thing though. It was probably better than hiding it… ignoring the fact maturity lacked in his worry of course. However, when Sasuke's sign on worry was silence, Naruto's sign was behaving childishly and pout constantly, all because he was left vulnerable to something, he couldn't prevent or push away.

Kakashi closed his eyes, just as Naruto jumped up from his seat. He slammed his palms down on the surface of the table, and made the candle on it tilt from one side to another, before eventually surrendering to gravity and tilt all way down.

"This is stupid! Why don't we just kick his ass, and-"

"If we do, Sakura's sacrifice was pointless," Sasuke sneered, obviously bothered by this to no end, or else he wouldn't have reacted that strongly, not to mention that fast. Kakashi sighed dramatically. This could go on forever, and by the looks on both of his students' faces, it sure was going to.

"Oh, come on. Surely she didn't mean…"

Dazing of to his own thoughts Kakashi effectively blocked out his students bickering at each other, though catching the important facts in the quarrel, which he performed to perfection, due to years of practicing the art of ignoring the last-surviving Uchiha and the demon fox.

Of course, the stupid ever repeating remarks had a way of _still _reaching his mind.

"You really are dense."

"At least I'm not _stupid_."

"That's the same thing you jerk."

"Oh yeah, then prove it?"

"Well, then hand me a dictionary!"

"Ha, you're just trying to sneak pass it now, because you know I'm right."

"For someone as stupid as you, its surprising you even now how to spell your own name!"

"Uh-huh? Well, then for someone as stupid as you its surprising you know how to spell at all!"

Kakashi sighed. When would his team _ever _grow up?

Actually it was rather odd he could be so, well not relaxed. That was a way to positive term, but more like… slightly tense about this. After all Sakura and Itachi had made a deal, and they had even seen the deal being made and heard the conditions.

Itachi may be slightly dishonored because of his former actions in the past, but he still was an honorable man and had his pride the right place, so somehow Kakashi just knew, he wouldn't deliberately hurt Sakura, at least not so much it would be risking her wealth. Not to forget, he apparently was in some need for her.

And then there was that seal, they had mentioned so freely…What had that been all about?

Sometimes Kakashi wished Sakura wasn't so stubborn to stay independent. She never really spoke to them about important matters besides their missions. To be honest, she had actually blocked them off to her emotions, as if she was copying Sasuke's way of behaving.

A particular slashing remark, made Kakashi avert his attention to his two students. They were standing up now, glaring intensely at each other, and their palms resting on the table. At this rate, they wouldn't even state locating Sakura today.

"Why would you even care about her well-being? You never bothered to acknowledge her, _before_ this whole stupid thing with Itachi. In fact, you could just as well be the reason she-" Naruto was cut of short by a hissing Sasuke.

"Just because I didn't literally _speak_ to her like she _wished,_ dumbass, doesn't mean I didn't _care_."

For a moment, it went silent. Kakashi arched one brow in disbelief, while Naruto just kept glaring at Sasuke, as if he was still absorbing, Sasuke had just confessed, he didn't deliberately like Sakura, but neither did he hate her.

Sasuke himself lost his confident composure, and for a moment, his eyes widened in shock, before _Naruto_ recovered and huffed loudly.

"_Right,_ you care now, because Itachi has shown interest in her-"

"Your fighting is not going to help Sakura," Kakashi burst in lazily, nothing but bored by the turn of events. Both of them could be so stupid sometimes. They didn't even realize their bickering was just them letting their frustration get out, and that in the end, they both wanted the same goal. To save Sakura. Nevertheless, apparently saving a teammate was yet _another_ thing those two couldn't cooperate about.

Really, it was just plain sad.

"Then what _can_ help her? Itachi-"

"Him again, huh Sasuke?" Naruto muttered under his breath, and made Sasuke temporarily stop in the middle of his sentence.

"Shut up, moron!"

Kakashi leaned back against the chair and shook his head. It was at these times, he truly missed the maturity of Sakura. You would believe, Sasuke would have matured too, but then females usually matured faster than males… but that surely didn't count with 17 and 18 years old males! If it did…

Well, it didn't, lets just stop the philosophy at that point!

Naruto crossed his arms defiantly, but never broke the raging eye contact with his rival yet also friend and teammate, "Hey, I never insulted you-"

"It's a lot easier to actually _say_ you're worried, than fighting each other over it," Kakashi reasoned out loud on purpose. The remark caught the attention, he had searched for. Both of the boys turned their blazing eyes towards him, and Kakashi was completely sure if looks could kill, he would be dead ten times over. If not twenty, judging by how this would turn out now.

"_Shut up_!"

Holding up his hands his defense, he let out a sigh. They should be searching for Sakura, especially when he didn't find any clue about the headquarters last night. As the sensei he was, he had felt the minute he left, something was wrong.

Instead of searching, he had hid outside their room, waiting for anything to happen… which did…He had debated whether to actually interfere or not, but then Sasuke and Naruto had appeared. It was all about faith. Besides Itachi knew all along, he _had _been outside. Sakura didn't of course…

The display that had happened in there… well, it hadn't _offended_ him, but it literally scared him, though he trusted Sakura… He had in mind to tell her, he knew, but then Itachi and Kisame had appeared, before he got the chance, and had taken her with them, or more like she followed them, since she offered that deal.

…As stupid as it was of her, although Kakashi was sure, she still knew not to try anything stupid as attack Itachi. That would be suicide, and surely she wasn't _that_ stupid, being the most rational one on the team.

Kakashi let out yet another sigh. It was like, he should actually persuade them to search for Sakura, them being so caught up in their little argument, as they preferred to call it, but either way - whatever they pleased to call it - it always ended up by the term: _fist-fight_.

He just had to stop it, before it did so.

Without Sakura, this team was just as immature as a kindergarten… exclusive him of course… or perhaps inclusive him.

"You're being awfully prudish," Kakashi exclaimed and found the strength to stand up, figuring if anything he needed to be the one taking the initiative, as it usual was, when Sakura wasn't present at the time.

To be honest, she functioned pretty much, as the observant teacher Kakashi never had bothered to be, harshly spoken of course. He had always bothered and watched over them, but he preferred to let them make their own mistakes and realize them afterwards, while Sakura preferred warning them before the mistakes took place. To different ways of teaching. He wondered whether Sakura knew, she was kind of a substitute for him.

Naruto suddenly tipped over the chair, as he spun around, his back facing them and his arms crossed.

"I don't care what any of you say, I'm gonna find her and-"

"Forget it, I'm the one who's gonna find her," Sasuke burst in Naruto's heroic proclamation, smoothly moving pass the table. Naruto uncrossed his arms, and advanced Sasuke, their noses practically touching.

Kakashi sat down on the chair in the background once again, shaking his head in defeat. When had it come to this? Moving onto his thoughts again, Kakashi could vaguely hear fragments of the argument in the background…

"As if! You can't even find a shoelace, even if it's tied to your _shoe_!"

"Took a month to figure out that line?"

"One day I'm gonna _kick_ your _ass_!"

"Is that so?"

"I'm gonna become Hokage, which means I will beat you!"

"That's just empty assumptions!"

"No it isn't!"

"Dream on moron!"

"Hey, don't call me moron, moron!"

"Can't you even swear right?"

Yes, as immature as a kindergarten… indeed.

(-)

_Hn, so apparently it's her thigh…At this rate, if she keeps being this obedient of course, I'll have Kyubi in less than a week. What a pity she's not just functioning as bait… It'll be harder to get her to confess Naruto, as well as Kyubi's, weakest spots. But then all good comes in the end… to the one who wait of course…_

"When should it be safe enough to activate?"

Itachi suppressed the growl threatening to leave his lips.

Sakura was sleeping soundlessly in the bed in the corner, the thin sheets covering every single bit of skin of her body. How modest she was. Even in her sleep. Well, he hadn't expected anything else, but it surprised him, she was comfortable enough to actually fall asleep in their presence.

He had thought that she at least feared them more than that, yet maybe she did fear them. Her body may just be exhausted by also having to feed the seal and not just the normal amount of a human being.

Itachi frowned thoughtfully. Now when he thought about it, she hadn't eaten properly, since she came here.

"You're being impatient Kisame," Itachi mumbled. Kisame took his time to knit his brows, before he slammed an elbow down onto the table and leaned his head against the palm of his hand. To be honest, Kisame had been slightly surprised, as Itachi had agreed to the deal. He hadn't thought the kunoichi was so important to him, but then Itachi never really explained how the kunoichi could help them get to Kyubi.

As a matter of fact, he was only left to take against orders, but never actually understand why making them. It was like baking a cake you never got around to taste.

"Damn right I am, we're only goofing around for no purpose," Kisame uttered after a minute of silence. Itachi blinked, before he with a flick of his wrist, placed his palm on the table, his fingers drawing lazy circles on the surface of it.

A bad habit of boredom most people would never think Itachi doing, since it assembled laziness, and Itachi was the bad guy, which meant he was always alert and ready to kill.

It would just seem plain odd to think of him having such a common thing as a bad habit, but nevertheless he did have… and only Kisame knew so far. Probably because no matter how hard Itachi tried to deny it, he did worry about Kisame to some extent, meaning he dared to be a bit relaxed around him too. They weren't close or anything, but he would feel a bit empty within himself, if Kisame just suddenly vanished from his life.

In the heat of battle, you never noticed who was on your side. It was all about instinct. When he and Kisame fought, they simply fought. They fought with the most primal and primitive weapons. The instinct. When Itachi lunged for someone, his instinct told him Kisame was not the one, so he swept pass him. All because he had become accustomed to his company.

He supposed that was what people called teammates. Yes, he and Kisame made a great team together.

"I believe, I've told the purpose several times," Itachi suddenly replied, his eyes watching his fingers intensely. Kisame shook his head shortly before shrugging. Gruffly he made a stand, and glared ahead of the female in his bed. Yes, it was his bed… as annoyingly as that now was. Now he had to sleep on the floor, since she just should have the bed, and since Itachi surely wasn't the type sleeping on the floor- which he sure was hell wouldn't ever do in his life- Kisame had to suffer through a broken spine next day.

It was unfair… really…

Yet, he shouldn't complain. At least Itachi had bothered to bring with them several blankets possible of making a comfortable bed out of. Besides, tonight he wouldn't even be present at the house. He was going to check the common headquarters, they main one, to check if they were able to stay there, since the Copy-ninjas team doubtlessly soon would find their little hut, functioning as headquarters for only the two – three – of them.

Though it would be a tough trip getting back there, it would be all worth it, since it was much better guarded than this place and much more securely hidden.

Kisame may not be hosting any kind feeling towards Team 7, but he had never underestimated them, partly because Sasuke was in it, and for him, underestimating Sasuke was underestimating Itachi, and that he would never do. Though the two brothers despised each other, and Itachi several times had told Kisame not to act, like they were related, Kisame couldn't help but still feel betraying Itachi by underestimating Sasuke. At some point, they were brothers - no need to deny that fact - and even more so they were biological brothers.

Hell, they could even go for twins, so similar were they in appearance.

Kisame blocked the uneasy thoughts, glared away from the kunoichi, and instead leaned up against the wall.

"I suppose you have told the purpose, but it still doesn't change anything. I mean, she's not stubborn or disobedient or anything, so why keep waiting? She's vulnerable, and apparently she's paralyzed by you, which for me is a wonder, though-"

"You're Kisame right?" a fragile voice interrupted his train of words, and suddenly the room became very quiet. Ever so slowly, Kisame turned his head to glare at the female sitting on his bed. It had sounded roughly disturbing hearing his name from her lips in such a familiar manner, as if they were related.

Sakura was sitting patiently on the bed, tugging the covers tightly around her. She had been hesitant to acknowledge her being awake, but had somehow known Itachi could tell the very second, she woke up from her light slumber. How, she didn't know, but deep within herself, she had that stupid picture, that Itachi was some super-human, who had mental powers or something.

Silly really, but to be honest, she thought everybody had that picture of him. That dark mysteriousness around him only made it much more believable.

For starters, when she woke up, she had been hit by a sudden wave of embarrassment. She had actually slept. What if she had been snoring or anything? Then next, she was thrown of guard by her lack of clothing. Once again, Itachi- or at lest she hoped it was him- had undressed her again. So much for keeping her modesty. Okay, he had just switched her dress with the trademark cloak they wore in a smaller and much more lighter version, and had kept her lingerie on…. Fortunately for her...

She was shy of nature, and she knew. She wasn't used to show her body to any person, be it male or female it didn't matter. Besides, she hated her body and the lacks of curves it had. At least in her opinion, but then she always compared to Ino, and Ino was pretty much above average. Hinata and Sakura was pretty much the same, so perhaps Sakura really was average? But then, it just felt better not to assume so. At least in that way, she wouldn't get all hurt, when she would realize, she was below…

And it certainly didn't make it better being Itachi seeing her body. As if she wasn't embarrassed and humiliated enough by it, as it already was.

At last she had dared to acknowledge her presence, by speaking to Kisame, patiently awaiting his response, to her speaking directly to him, as she completely ignored Itachi's presence… though it didn't go well, since her cheeks flushed ten shades of crimson and her breathing deepened. Guess she had to get used to that from now on. Just his voice thrilled her body into heat.

Sakura watched with slight anxiety, as Kisame sent Itachi a quick glance, and judging by Itachi's calm demeanor, he had known she had been awake all along. So much for wishing.

"What's it to you?" Kisame growled. Sakura's expression turned from insecure to confused.

"I was just wondering whether-"

"Well, then quit wondering and put those hands into use instead. Like making us dinner," Kisame sneered at her. Sakura blinked, and for a second Itachi's eyelids twitched, before falling to rest.

Kisame didn't even bother to look her at, yet if he had…

_Make.Them.**Dinner**? Do I look like a fucking **housewife**; I'm a goddamn **hostage**! If anything **they **should be making **me** dinner. Hello, I'm **starving** here!_

Fury slamming on her ribcage, and encouraging her heart to pound deeper with adrenaline, she vaguely recalled her voice being very high-pitched, when just having slept, but at this particular rate, she didn't care.

Who the hell did they think they were? They deal hadn't implied anything close to her making dinner,or functioning as a god damn housewife. That shark-guy had some nerve to call her that, and why the hell didn't Itachi do something to stop him?

Oh yeah right, none of them like me, so why help me!

Clenching the sheet tighter in her humid palm, Sakura crossed her leg under the cover and inched a bit forward towards them.

"Why are you so rude? First Itachi and then you! I barely know you, and the instant you see me you go all don't-piss-me-off-or-I'll-beat-the-shit-outta-you at me! I'm not a virus or anything and- hey, stop ignoring me, I'm talking to you here," Sakura shrieked, her voice shaky and incontrollable. Cutting of herself, she bit her lip and let her eyes dart downwards. The moment she woke up, she had known all her frustration had reached its peak. Being bottled up for so long did make it worse, not to mention her emotions always were in overdrive after having slept.

Kisame uncrossed his arms.

"You are lucky Itachi-san ordered me not to harm you!"

Sakura blinked, trying desperate to bite of the acid on her tongue but failed miserably.

"Oh, so now you threaten me, huh? I'm just so scared, and why the hell do you only do, as Itachi-san say? Can't you even think on yourself? Are you that retarded?"

Sakura never noticed, Itachi's eyes had opened and watched the swell of her breasts heave and fall with every breathless pant she took. Neither did she acknowledge the far too daring way his eyes fluttered across her lithe form hid by the sheet. Within his eyes were the same blazing passion she had earlier come to face, but now there was some else… be it amusement or anger, it was still there.

"Itachi-san is a man to respect-"

"Uchiha Itachi is a fucked-up sinister jerk, who doesn't know to any emotions but greed and egoism! He's a throughout moron containing nothing but selfishness and complete ignorance, not to forget rudeness and him being the very essence of pure arrogance! He's just a fucking killer."

The swish of a heavy cloak shifting, Sakura had not time to escape, before she was jerked roughly of the bed with a breathless yelp, and down onto the floor, where she was forced to kneel with her arm wrapped around her back in a secure grip by callused fingers… his fingers…

Her breath hitched in her throat, and her body started hyperventilating on its own accord, feeling the warmth of a yet unfamiliar presence behind her.

She had gone too far, and she should've known calling him those names- no matter how true they were- it would only add to his already violent temper, but it had been so hard to stop herself. She had just blurted everything that was on her mind, and now…. She was kneeling at his will… as always…Now it would've been good to have some hidden power within her, that she could unleash and get away from this mess.

Sakura gulped, as she felt Itachi apply more pressure on her arm, which already pounded and throbbed in agony, and a tiny bit-back groan left her lips, and her body trashed slightly on its own.

Kisame furrowed his brows, and couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the girl now kneeling on the floor. Itachi rarely reacted to those words, and he really did stumble upon them often, but the way she had said it. Like it had been acid…

With a sigh Kisame nodded to himself and within a mere second, he had gone off out into the storm, not leaving a single moment behind to confuse Sakura.

The silence after his departure was awkward and the only thing being heard, was her heavy panting. She feared him. Now, when she was kneeling at his will, she finally realized, she feared him so much.

His voice brought her back to reality, and she blinked at his gruff tone, not remembering it had ever been this husky or deep.

Feeling his presence behind her move, Sakura's body stiffened and her veins started pulsating with anxious floats of blood. Her eyes lost their confidence, as a strong grasp around her upper arm, forced her up and around, as sharp nails scraped her skin. She looked fragile with the dominating frame of Itachi hovering a few good inches above her, even though he was still bent over. It was no lie he truly _was_ phenomenally tall, - which she had gotten a fresh reminder of a few times in a row by now- and even got taller compared to her lack of height. No wonder he so easily managed to overpower _anybody_.

"You are either were brave… or very foolish," he growled with his deep red irises fixed on her slightly widened one. Closing her mouth, Sakura heaved her chin in newfound bravery, and jerked her arm free from his grip… or at least attempted to though, since the jerk went out futile, apart from the throbbing ache doubling, when he in response only tightened the grasp.

Snorting low in his throat, Itachi leaned down, seeming overwhelmingly threatening to Sakura, and she squeezed her eyes a bit tighter together at his nearness.

Then… with a simple flick of his wrist… he sent her hard up against the wall, a short gasp leaving her lips, and before she had time to recover, he was mere inches away from her. Out of instinct, her hands clutched the front of the cloak tightly, which only made Itachi smirk dryly at her.

Shivering as his hand trailed up her neck, she had not time to act upon it, before his slender fingers tangled with her tousled hair, and jerked her head forcefully backwards, which made her throat arch in a slender bow, as if inviting his lips to soothe that specific area of skin.

"A little late for modesty, isn't it?" he mumbled to her slowly, as if she was a child. She could feel his warm breath from every baritone word, he spoke, and her defences faltered shakily, as if they had been nothing but fragile leaves in the chill autumn breeze.

"What do you want Itachi?" she then hissed and kept stock-still, since she could practically feel his muscled body grinding up against hers unintentional in sensually motions… which was pretty disturbing.

"Such hostility. I thought this deal would at least make us allies," Itachi smirked with a fake pout and watched Sakura draw in a particular deep breath, and as the few tresses of bright pastel-colored hair invaded her vision and made her left eyebrow twitch into a frown.

"I never took you for being naïve, but now I see, I should've looked more closely," she retorted heatedly and sent him a dark glare, on the verge of being downright raging. He could see her chest heaving with each breath she took, and how the breaths were shallower and shorter than the former one. She kept her lips completely closed though, and he admired the fact, she could control her breathing that perfectly through her nose, yet still her lips itched to part, since they kept twitching now and then.

Keeping his calm expression, he gently let the hand that didn't entangle with her hair, slide down her arm, and grab her hand, the dampness of it making his lips tug into a satisfied grin.

Her lips finally parted, as he ever so exquisitely rubbed his palm up against her moist one, pressing the back of her hand up against the wall, so the pressure got firmer and opened the opportunity for him to let the pads of his fingers caress her palm.

Sakura desperately fought against the sensations evoked deep within her body, but she couldn't deny the fact it got harder and harder to control her rapid pulse and breathing. Everything he did seemed so sly, sensual and erotic, that it was hard for her to think about anything else…. And he didn't even seem affected at all. Okay, there was no doubt, he was more experienced, his kiss with her before showed her that, and the way he handled her, when she was… heated. Everything pointed towards great skills in that department.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted, as she was pinned roughly to the wall, and her eyes widened in shock. The hand caressing her palm, suddenly went around the wrist, and applied pressure enough to make her hand pound from loss of blood. The way he pressed her up against the wall… it wasn't as before. It was…

"I-Itachi-"

"Why do you think you're allowed to speak in such a way to me?" he snarled at her, and she could only gape breathlessly at him, not quite understanding it, before it dawned on her.

_What, we tell him that he's naïve, and he gets all pissed of? What an **ass**_! Inner Sakura yelled angrily, and huffed inside Sakura's mind.

"I believe you need to get refreshed who I am, little kunoichi," Itachi growled at her. Sakura found herself entranced by his eyes. Her eyes then darted down his nose and ended upon his slightly parted lips drawing in audible breathes. The faint trace of them sliding down the skin on her neck flashed through her inner mind, before she roughly averted her eyes up to his once more, the fire once more blazing in them.

No.

She was not a piece, he could mold to his liking. She had a will, and she intended to keep it, as well as that goes for her stubbornness.

"You're the one who's in need for a refresher. Your brain is rotten from neglect** (1)**" Sakura hissed in refusal, and snatched free her wrist. She felt relief flood her eyes, as the pain subsided in her hand, and instead left a throbbing pricking, which indicated the blood running back to the veins.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw his hands rising from his side, and she was prepared for him to hit her, but as the hand reached her face, and she tried to avoid it by ducking, it suddenly caught her chin and forced her head to lift.

As their eyes locked, Sakura found herself entranced by the depthless scarlet of his eyes.

"It's less pleasant to pay attention to a mouth with such foul a taste," Itachi proclaimed in his usual flat tone. Before the words even sank in, Sakura was flushing profusely from just the look in his eyes, but as the words did sink in…

"H-huh!"

Itachi smirked slightly, and arched his brows in fake confusion, "A lesson in obedience can be otherwise than pain, kunoichi."

Sakura found herself trembling beneath his strong gaze, and before she could prevent it, her knees buckled and with a gasp, she fell. Just as she prepared herself for the collation, a strong arm encircled her waist and yanked her up flush with a heated body. Her face was deep crimson to the point of her being as red as a cherry.

"…Let go," she muttered timidly, and looked away, as the humiliation became too much for her to stand.

_What the hell Sakura, you just literally **fell** for him!_ Inner Sakura shrieked wildly.

Closing her eyes, Sakura growled at her traitorous inner mind. Now was **not **the time to think about Itachi with him being so near… even though it was pretty hard not to, with him being so near.

"We both know that's not possible. I already told you the function within the seal, besides I'm allowed to do whatever I please with you, as well as with your body," Itachi reasoned flatly, though the hint of sarcasm latched onto it. Sakura, not truly bothering that his arm was still supporting her and his hand holding her left hip in a gentle grasp, bit her bottom-lip and avoided his penetrating gaze. It was, as if there was no reason to hide her obvious embarrassment…

… she could just blame it on the fall…

"You're being awfully talkative today aren't you," she asked in a slightly sneering voice, but Itachi merely shrugged one shoulder.

"Just as much as you're being hostile," he retorted. Feeling vulnerable beneath his intense gaze, Sakura pierced him with one of her death-glares.

"I hate you," she hissed at him, but was only responded with a smirk from his side.

"Indeed you do, but then…"

Sakura could only tense up, as he inched close to her ear, running his lips over the shell of it.

"…It only adds to the fun," he ended his sentence in a sly whisper, the hand at her hip squeezing a bit more tightly. Before Sakura could even gaspshe was practically thrown into the wall, so that she now faced it. A domineering presence instantly hovered behind her. Two hands were placed on the wall on each side of her with palms outstretched, as he effectively caged her in. What he was doing wasn't comprehendible…

A rush of warmth electrified through her, and caused a shiver to roll down her spine, just as his lips touched her skin gently. Her gasp turned into a soft uttered groan of pleasure, then her mind suddenly panicked from the completely new sensation, and she fumbled with her words.

"Ita-Itachi, stop- I'm not a-a… a whore," she desperately gasped. As soon as the word was named, she felt Itachi stop his ministrations.

Relieved it was over, she was about to let out a tensed breath, before he roughly grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him and burying his face into her neck. Her face was beautifully flushed by that point and now it just got worse.

"I don't do whores", he then stated, and before she could get offended by the _I don't do_, his lips parted and slid down her shoulder to let his teeth scrape over her skin, and nipping gently at the flesh covering her pulse.

Her body flexed as the brief bite evolved into an intense nibbling. His tongue darted out to wet the place where his teeth had created a red pulsating piece of flesh.

His hands roamed her body, slid down the small of her back, then down to grace her hips, which he grabbed and planted onto the wall to stop her squirming.

The callused hands of his, left a burning trail and the deep growls back in his throat made her tremble. She bit down her bottom lip, and that way prevented moans to get through. What was he doing to her? Or more importantly, _why_ was he doing it?

"The taste of fear-", as if to point it out, he kissed her moist skin, "-the most pitiful emotion we humans store. Do you store it too kunoichi?"

Sakura's eyes snapped open at the slight mischief and darkness in his voice. Startled by the sudden change of the mood, she could only reply with a dumfounded: "Huh?"

Not the most intelligent answer.

Itachi smirked and shook his head.

"Do you fear me, fear my touch… Haruno Sakura?" he emphasized her name in a mocking manner, that made her cease her brow. With a swift push, she gained the strength to pry him slightly away from her. Suddenly Sakura felt rather fortunate, that Kisame had left, since this scene had gone just a tad bit too serious.

Effectively she slid pass him and out into the free space, turned around to face him. He leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes averted onto her lithe form, which was positioning for fight.

"No," Sakura responded with a slight flick of her head, to sweep away the hair covering her vision. She was foolish to believe, just because there was distance between them, that she was safe at all with the speed of Itachi, and as if to prove that exact point, his body moved so suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, he was behind her. Her eyes widened, but she had no time to become frightened by his move, since he wasted no time, but instantly grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

Reacting on instinct, she let him guide her backwards, and just as he was about to slam her up the wall, she jerked her arm around, so that she faced him, her arm now on her back, and their bodies flush, since he had kept his grip around her now sore wrist behind her own back.

Then with a victorious smirk, she swept backwards, pulling him with her, and then while they moved backwards, she quickly steadied herself and moved forward, quickly ducking under his arm, and jerked her hand free.

Pulling some distance to regain her breath, she did an elegant back flip and a quick swirl with her feet sliding across the dusty floor, before she was facing him once more… or so she thought….

Unfortunately for her, he had followed her every move, as she should have expected, and now he was at her side. Ducking to avoid his hands, she did an airy swirl on the floor, sweeping away his feet with her leg, though he merely did a quick handstand.

Sakura watched in slight fascination, as he arched his spine, in a much more elegant and perfect copy of her former back flip, before he landed securely on the ground with bowed knees, his cloak whizzing against the floor and creating a circle around his body.

Sakura stood still, awaiting his approach this time.

He had a smirk tugging his lips. This amused him? And he wasn't even halfway panting for his breath. She had never seen him be so flexible in his former fights. Had he simply been to bored back then, do make the effort of a good match?

"I do not fear anyone, least you," Sakura suddenly raged, and tightened her posture. She had to show him, she had some guts.

Itachi stood up, watching her tense her posture. He hid the knowing smirk, and instead arched one elegant shaped eyebrow.

"Then what is it you feel now?" he asked with interest, and slowly, without breaking their eye contact, he loosened the cloak by parting it down his chest, reveling a fishnet t-shirt clinging temptingly against his skin. Sakura suppressed the shiver brushing her spine at the very much arousing sight.

She had never seen the shape of a fully healthy man's chest. Only the ones, who had been injured and she had to heal and wrap bindings around the sore area.

Well, she had at least not seen a man's chest, that she was very much tempted to see, and this specific clothing did very little of hiding the shape…

_Well, years of practicing taijutsu clearly make good benefit I see_, Inner Sakura muttered with sarcasm.

"I feel anger," Sakura retorted, her head heavy with sensation and fear of having stared just that bit too long on him. The smirk on Itachi's face pretty much told her, all she needed to know. She had been staring at him, and by the gleam in the fiery depths of his eyes…

… she could've been drooling too.

"Is it the anger that makes your heart pound and your skin damp?"

"My heart is not pounding and my-"

_Damn him_

"Why is your pulse erratic?"

_Just kick him god damn it_

"It's not-"

_Great, even more denial without proof_

"Denial wont help you kunoichi!"

_Argh, don't you think I **know**?_

"My pulse is not-"

Before she had the chance to snort at him, he was instantly behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist, and his nose nuzzling away her hair. Sakura felt in horror as he slid his lips over her skin in a butterfly's faint caress, before lightly resting upon her pulse… her erratic pulse.

Fuming over her weakness against his advances – curse that damn seal, as Inner Sakura so elegantly voiced – she let out a soft sigh, the moment he kissed her pulse.

"It very much is," he whispered, applying firmer pressure to her pulse, feeling it pound against his lips and making them tingle. Sakura felt herself grow weak, especially when feeling his warm skin beneath the thin fishnet material press against her arching back.

"Don't think I desire you! You're an evil and grotesque person," she managed to hiss out, yet did nothing but avoid his embrace. Itachi lifted his brows in mock surprise: "Desire? I don't remember saying any of that."

Sakura bit her tongue, and choose to ignore his comment, desperately picking up the nearest thing on her mind to make him forget.

"Why does this amuse you?" she huffed offended and bit her lip on the inside, as his hands let go of her waist, and instead slid up and down her sides.

She felt the thrills crawling down her spine and cursed him silently. Bending her head, she felt an intense blush adding color to her already flushed cheeks. She could still feel his breath on her neck, and no matter how much she moved her neck away from it, it always followed.

"From heated to shy," she heard him exclaim in an audible voice, "I wonder, would you be shy or heated, if I kissed you?"

Sakura tensed in his grip, and before knowing what she was doing, she spun around and found their faces only inches apart.

"I never said anything about wanting a kiss," she quickly claimed and moved a bit sway from him. His eyes clearly said: what difference does that make? Hurriedly wanting to explain, gods know why – though probably out of fear – she searched his eyes.

"I'm coherent about it-" she timidly started, but was faced with horror, as his voice interrupted her.

"What about I make you incoherent?"

Then, quite roughly, he grabbed the column of her neck and ignored her stunned face-expression. Before thinking twice, he dipped his head down against the crook of her neck. Somewhat gently, he nuzzled the pastel hair away with his nose, and in that gesture exposing her vulnerable neck to his sight.

Her soft gasp and trembling hands, as she tried to pry him of her without seeming rude, only made him frown in response and tighten his firm hold at her neck.

Tilting her head without permission, he felt the humid scent of arousal hit his nostrils. A choked sound left her throat, and she weakly continued to pry him of her, but all her attempts went out futile.

"I-Itachi, please stop. I don't," she stuttered out with difficulty, as a tremble flooded through her. Itachi got increasingly annoyed at her constant prying and pushing at him, meanwhile Sakura suppressed the moan plastering to her tongue like a smooth cloth of velvet.

He had never been this intense and passionate with just his _lips_. No hands at all… Never…

A smug smirk appeared on his lips. She once again flushed and her breathing was hard and ragged. He felt himself arousing reluctantly, at the ravished look she held. Her hair tousled and tangled, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson and her lips parted to draw in shallow breaths.

Though fury was glimmering in her jade eyes, slight anxiousness could be discovered. He gently, but firmly, grabbed her chin, and moved closer to her. She swallowed, determined not to let him go out victorious.

He leaned in. She bewildered turned her face to the right in embarrassment of looking directly at him. She only exposed her throat to him.

"Timid are we? What could it possibly be, you're trying to tell me?" Itachi asked slowly, as if to torment her.

"You're… you're too close," she stuttered embarrassed beyond reason. Itachi only glared at her.

"And why does that affect you?"

_God Sakura. It's never… **ached** this way before…_

"Just let me go, okay?" she mumbled shakily, and tried to fight for her modesty and pride. Itachi didn't listen though. He grabbed her chin, and forced her eyes to meet his.

"You fear you'll give into it, because if you do, you're betraying your friends, but let me tell you something. They don't give a shit about you. They haven't even come to rescue you-"

…

The slap echoed through the room and slammed hard against the walls.

Stunned Sakura could only watch, as the red mark of her fingers against his cheek reddened with the seconds that went by. Watching in horror, Sakura felt her eyes grow wide, at the sight of Itachi narrowing his eyes, and his sharingan circulating every so slightly, but before she knew how to apologize, his hand latched onto her left cheek and with enormous strength, his hand connected with her cheek.

Her body flung around and her shoulder connected painfully with the wall. She numbly slid down the wall and crumbled on the floor.

Her left cheek burned and throbbed in pure agony and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

Fighting back her tears of the pain, a broken sob left her mouth as the pain kept lingering onto her cheek and the aching of her shoulders increasing steadily. To think this wasn't even his true and full strength – yes he had held back, she had clearly felt it – then if he ever was to truly hit her… She wouldn't even last a mere second.

Feeling herself being lift up on her shaken feet, she met crimson eyes void of any emotion. Her body flinched involuntarily, as Itachi lifted his hand. She closed her eyes tightly, awaiting another punch from him, but the only thing she felt was the gentle caress of his palm rubbing her sore cheek, and somehow soothing the throbbing in it.

Still not daring to open her eyes, she felt his breath close to her own, as he leaned in. Her body jerked, as his warm lips covered the left corner of her mouth, followed by his tongue, that ever so concernedly and softly licked away the trail of deep crimson and metallic blood trickling down the corner of her mouth.

Sakura slowly gave into his display of hidden worry, as she felt her body become numb with exhaustion of the whole day and the events in it.

Feeling the slow licks and kisses around to area of her mouth, she vaguely felt her resistance break, and her lips parted lazily, allowing his tongue to take away the metallic blood mixing with the saliva in her mouth.

_Itachi… I don't understand you. Why are you so… so…double-minded?_

She opened her eyes, the moment they parted…

Onyx… His eyes… they were…

…Onyx…

Then, without hesitation, his lips found hers again in several chaste kisses, that moved softly and soothingly against her trembling lips.

_Why couldn't he just be like this all the time? Why couldn't he just act… humanly?_

**

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(1)**: Line owned by Rising Phoenix, my very best friendie with the socks!

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**A/N: **Well, **not much action**, although **I did do a development in Ita and Saku's relationship**… So far so good, in next chapter you'll get some action…. Involving pretty much every character in this story… wouldn't want **to disappoint you guys**!

Oh and a looooooong scene with Itachi and Sakura, but hey, I have to make most of the scenes with them, until the plot really unfolds. **For now, they have to get the seal activated before I can really start the plot…** It'll probably **happen in next chapter or chapter five**. Don't get too impatient… This story is long!

**And when the seal awakens, remember he'll be able to hear her thoughts, folks! **

Anyway, did I do it well enough? Please tell me whatever this chapter made you feel!

**Review responses:**

**miaka54321** Heh, you do make a lot of sense! At least in my opinion…

**Soph:** Actually, thanks to you this entire chapter wasn't an ItaSaku all way through. The first scene with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi may be some of a plain filler, but still its nice to know how they react to this… I especially had fun with Naruto and Sasuke… I'm just so evil against them, but then, they can handle it as the big boys they now are!

And I bet you found much more manipulation in this chapter, ne?

**Miakoda13** Well, as I said, I was surprised, I **did **put in that scene with them already in that chapter, but hey, I just write what my mind tells me to, and my mind told me, now was the time…Pretty odd. I usually only make that happen after chapter seven or something… Well, that's just me: plain odd!

Oh, and if you want the reason, go back and check chapter one, but still I put it in here for you… That is if you found it? Its in Itachi's thoughts! Heh…

**PowerfulMind** …_Indeed_ the math classroom! Anyway, I seriously dislike Sasuke right now, so it was hard to write the first scene in this chapter, but i still got through with it though.

Yep, Neji is cool, and I think Sakura is just stupid but then… I was the one making her do it so… okay, it was noble, got it? Heh…

**_SatuAka_**: A stalker… heh…

**Firefox:** If you were blushing during that scene, I would like to see how you look now!

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(That includes:**Glacier Pheonix, Firefox, ****SatuAka****, kitkat, ****PowerfulMind****Miakoda13****, Spreeeeeeeee, ****kttykiwi****, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, Soph, ****Cyberwing****, anymous, ****miaka54321**** and Yuri**)

**And please review out there!**

**-Frozzy**


	5. You Can't Fool Me! Pt 2

**Title:** Fragility of the Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

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Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

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**ATTENTION:**

_Preview of chapter 6 at the bottom

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_

_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Five: You can't fool me! Pt. 2**

"We thought too lightly of them!"

"Did you check the main headquarter?"

"Yes and presumably there'll be no one else there, than Kiiran-san for about a week and a half!"

"Start packing!"

Feeling the blanket being ripped of her warm body and the cold air floating down her skin mercilessly, Sakura's eyes shot open frantically, since she had been in a half-awake state. Feminine instincts striking, her hand rushed up to cover the front of her chest, while her legs crossed with strangled motions, due to she had just been snuggling up in the delightful warmth, and then suddenly thrown into the chill air without warning.

The grasp around her arm was just as unexpected as the sudden awakening. She was jerked up like a rag doll and barely managed to catch the glimpse of a familiar sharingan.

"Wha-what's going on?" she stuttered groggily and struggled to no avail against the grip. Itachi pulled her more forcefully with him, and Kisame, who had a backpack attached to his back, meanwhile seeming quite distant and edgy, soon joined them.

"Itachi, what are you doing? Let go of me," Sakura yelled frantically and awkwardly pushed at him, although before she knew of it, she was thrown over his left shoulder, as if she had been a bundle of feathers in a sack.

Paralyzed by complete shock, Sakura could only numbly feel his hand grab her one ankle and the other calloused hand resting at her thigh and supporting her weight off his shoulders just the smallest bit. She grasped his cloak in a firm and stunned grip, and held onto him, while she in silence cursed herself for depending on his support.

She vaguely noticed Itachi seemed rather disheveled than usual.

As she was about to try slide out his grasp, Kisame suddenly shattered the solid wooden door in front of them, splinters of rotten wood carving through the air. Instinctively she hid her face in Itachi's neck, feeling the light shudder running through him and the tension of his shoulders. She quickly pulled away, the moment they stepped out into the calm weather.

Sakura shuddered, and it dawned on her she was wearing very much thin and little clothing on her body. Subconsciously she let her chakra gather in the pit of her stomach, before letting it guide through her veins, to make it heating up the blood and warm up her skin.

The grip at her thigh tightened and she cast a surprised glance at Itachi, who watched her intensely with his sharingan-eye.

_Oops… He can feel chakra-movements… Guess I forgot!_

Sakura looked away, and fought the urge to slap him once more, but then remembering what had happened last time, she let her urges take control, and quickly disregarded that wish. Her lip was sore, after she had bit it, and she was aware of the throbbing in it. It was going to leave an ugly bruise. That's for sure. Itachi would've bruised her alabaster skin. What a dumb fact. Especially since the deal-

_Chill it now girl! You never made it **illegal** for him to hurt you, remember? All you worried about was your **friends**, and where are they now? **Huh**?_

Shaking her head, Sakura held her breath. No, she wouldn't think like that. Maybe her traitorous inner mind would judge her friends so superficially, but she had faith in them, yet also knew the fact they couldn't save her, even if they wanted to. She had asked for the deal. It hadn't asked for her!

"How close are they?"

Itachi's baritone voice caused Sakura to shift her attention to the two men in her presence. They were standing still, obviously pondering about their next move, whether that was what all of this was about. She didn't dare ask Itachi now. He seemed annoyed enough, as it already was, with his body tensed up.

"Several miles, but they're moving fast, Itachi-san," Kisame grunted and grabbed a hold of his own sleeve. Itachi narrowed his eyes, and Sakura dared to adjust her leg the faintest inches, but only made Itachi grab her tighter, and if possible marking her skin yet another place.

Had he seen the bruise on her lip yet? Hm, perhaps it didn't look as bad, as it felt.

Suddenly her eyes popped open. Where they running away from somebody? But who would chase them-

_Oh **god** Sakura, fucking **do** something!_

Gathering her courage into her voice, she parted her lips - the left side aching at the stretch -. With a smooth wriggle, she had her arm free from being squeezed in-between her body and Itachi's. Then she pulled it up to her mouth, but before she had a single chance to let out the lightest breath, a hand grabbed her hair from behind. Her eyes closed briskly at the sudden pain, and her back arched which caused her to fall backwards with a struggling hiss of pain.

However, before she hit the ground, she was pulled into a muscular body, and a hand covered her mouth roughly and pressed against her stinging lip. She bit back the cry of unexpected pain, as it shot through her lip, although she couldn't avoid her vision blurring.

"Be still, or it'll be worst for yourself," Itachi sneered at her, his face dangerously close. Nodding bewilderedly, Sakura felt his hand over her mouth softening, but never leaving. She frowned, but choose to ignore it for now.

Kisame was staring behind her and Itachi's back, obviously awaiting them to suddenly pop out of the blue air.

"Kisame, distract them," Itachi muttered. With a nod Kisame spiraled sharply, his cloak cutting through the air like was it made of the purest silky steel, and within a mere second he was practically floating the snow with abnormal speed in the opposite direction of Itachi and Sakura.

Finally, Itachi removed his hand from her mouth, and she drew in a large gulp of fresh air. Expecting him to gather her up on his shoulder again, Sakura leaned into him. Patiently she waited for him to grab her and swing her over – struggling would only make it worse – but nothing came.

Slightly surprised she opened her mouth, but before a word could pass her lips, she felt a finger trace her bruise. Flinching at the sudden itch from his touch, she drew slightly back. Itachi slid and arm around her back and forced her back into her old position in front of him.

He titled his head to the left and stared fascinated at her now trembling lip. What was so fascinating about it? It was a simple bruise, and he had most likely seen thousands of those bruises before.

What was so special about it now?

"Itachi, I don't-"

"Be still," he cut her of flatly, a repetition of what he had said to her earlier. Sakura huffed and sent him a glare.

"It is sore", he stated, as if she was some kind of animal set on audition for possible buyers. Not bothering to answer him, she simply glanced away. He smirked faintly, and all of a sudden, he hooked his arm under her knees, the other supporting her back and shoulders. He lifted her up from the ground.

_What! Bridal-style! What the **heck** has possessed him?_

Feeling like some sort of bridesmaid – certainly not a bride – Sakura gratefully took against this new offer. It was much more comfortable. As he pushed of the ground, with chakra circulating his feet, Sakura grabbed the front of his cloak and held on for dear life. She had experienced his speed before, and if he went as fast this time…

Fortunately he didn't, which made her suspicious. If they had tracked them, why wasn't he worried and quickly rushed away? Okay, perhaps he had sent Kisame to distract them, but knowing her team, Kisame wouldn't last long to one of Naruto's pranks, and they would've fooled him by now.

"Where are we traveling?" Sakura practically yelled at Itachi. He kept on looking straight forward, as if not acknowledging her at all.

"The headquarters," he replied reluctantly after a while.

_Hn, the headquarters? But hadn't they just been at the headquarters?_

Sakura fumbled slightly with her words, "but I thought we were at the…"

"The foolishness of Konoha-shinobis is truly amazing," Itachi mumbled, and Sakura looked oddly at him. Why did he say that? Feeling a bit self-conscious tugging his cloak like that, she let slightly go, as she figured him to have a good enough grip on her, to support her whole weight.

"You mean, this wasn't the headquarters," she asked in mock disbelief.

"The main-headquarters needs to store a bigger amount of people than three," Itachi snarled at her, and made her flinch. Talk about being naïve, and being that naïve… Sakura blushed in embarrassment of being caught in such a childish thing as being naïve.

She had to explain her somehow. Coming up with the closest excuse, she bit her bottom-lip.

"But back home they say the Akatsukies only are very few, yet some of the strongest missing-nin's alive! I find it hard to believe that many missing-nins have survived the hunter-nins," she claimed a bit insecurely. Hesitatingly she let her gaze wander up his chest and glare in a haze at his eyes. A faint smirk was tugging the corners of his lips, and Sakura was enchanted by the way his raven-colored hair tangled altogether in a mess, due to the speed creating sharp wind.

Sakura felt his grip on her slacken, and she grabbed his cloak once more. That was, when his silence suddenly made it all dawn upon her.

_**God**, how stupid can I **be**? I just said myself the Akatsuki store great power, and then I actually ask, how they could defeat the hunter-nins… God, can I get even more **pathetic** than that?_

"Hey you ass, let go of Sakura-chan."

It was as if in those seconds, her heart stopped beating. Turning her neck, she felt Itachi come to a halt, just as her eyes fell onto three familiar figures standing closely together in position for fight.

Kisame swept up to stand beside her and Itachi. He didn't seem, like he had done great effort in holding them back, but Sakura only vaguely noticed that. She was far to overwhelmed by seeing the ones most precious to her, standing there, fighting to save her.

"Sorry Itachi-san, this was all I could do", Kisame growled, and it was as if his voice, made Sakura finally react.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura had never been happier to see Kakashi, and the way she voiced his name pretty much told everybody present at the time. If anyone on the team could give Itachi a challenge, the one most capable, was Kakashi. Although he could far from defeat Itachi. Sakura doubted anyone could. If anything it should be Orochimaru, but when he had his strong spots, he had some very weak too. In Sakura's opinion, Itachi only stored strong spots, no weak at all.

"Don't worry Sakura, we'll save you," Sasuke exclaimed and narrowed his eyes at his brother. Sakura admired the fact; he had managed over the years to control his hatred against Itachi, so that only now his eyes were the evidence of how deeply, he hated his only left-back relative.

She noticed Kakashi stare at Sasuke with determination, which rarely was found evident in his posture and eye.

"Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi said flatly, obviously remembering them about the deal in his own way. Naruto furrowed his brows and looked away from Itachi and her. Sasuke's jaw tensed and he took a deep breath.

Suddenly realization hit her. She was cheering and encouraging her team to save her, when she had just made a deal, that she was Itachi's property, until he had finished, whatever he had in mind. They deal included Itachi not attacking them, but it included nothing about defense. If they attacked him, he was bound to block, and eventually those blocks could get deadly, so…

She was sending her team into death!

Sakura paled visibly and brought up a shaking hand to cover her mouth. Why hadn't she seen it before? She had been so sure, that she had remembered everything in securing her teams survival, but now… it had all just shattered…She had believed in her plan so strongly, that… she hadn't even thought of any kind of damaging holes in it.

A small gasp left Sakura's lips, as she felt long fingers push back her hair from her ear in gentle strokes, before she felt a warm and calm breathing next to her. Giving into the feeling for just a second, she closed her eyes, and her back arched the slightest bit.

Her teammates were present, and looked pretty much ready to kill. Naruto had clenched his fists, he shook from pent-up anger, and his eyes shimmered in a light crimson – not a good sign-. Sakura bit her quivering bottom-lip. If Kyuubi took over him, he would sacrifice himself to Itachi.

Sasuke was, as surprisingly as it was, holding back Naruto with a hand on his shoulder, while Kakashi was watching Itachi and her intensely. His headband was pushed up to reveal his sharingan-eye, alert and present.

If they attacked him…

"I see you've figured it out," Itachi whispered sultrily into her ear, as he grabbed her waist and pressed her back against his warm body. Sakura's eyes opened in shock, and flicked towards her teammates, to watch their reaction about Itachi practically feeling her up. Unfortunately she had no time to actually absorb their expressions, before her chin was forced back in place by Itachi's elegant fingers.

"I wont be holding back, kunoichi. If you value their lives, you better start unfolding that sweet voice of yours."

She couldn't help but blush at his words. He had just complimented her voice, even though with sarcasm lingered on it, but still he had complimented her sarcastically. It was improvement.

Kisame watched Itachi with amusement in his eyes. To be honest he had never seen Itachi so open with caresses to any woman at all, and he highly doubted the seal was alone the cause of it. Not to forget the kunoichi reacted so strongly to his verbal seduction. Frankly, she seemed to be oblivious to the fact, that it was so obvious, she was enjoying Itachi's attention upon her. It amused Kisame greatly; she openly welcomed Itachi, while her teammates watched.

"Hey, get your ugly hands of Sakura-chan", Naruto growled with gritted teeth, and Sakura noticed Sasuke's grip around his shoulder tightened a few inches. Sakura could easily picture Itachi knocking down Naruto, and could just as easily hear the crack of his neck breaking with a piercing sound.

As the tension threatened to unfold in bloodshed, Sakura struggled in Itachi's grip. She could hear his deep chuckle in her ear, before he – instead of letting her go – slid his hands up her sides in a firm caress, and pressed a knee in between her legs, forcing them apart and made their bodies flush with each other.

Sakura was beyond being simply flushed by now. The heat entered her thighs, and enveloped her skin. Especially that certain spot on her thigh seemed to boil by now.

_Great, now he's gonna humiliate me in **front **of my team! Damn him and his arrogance, and ignorance, that psycho slyness of his, that god damn knowledge of his and… and…and that incredibly talented mouth, and those fingers, and that knee, if it could just- **What the hell Sakura**! You need to get on and **Uchiha Itachi**-addiction clinic._

"That's it. I'm gonna-"

Watching as Naruto's posture, Sakura finally panicked into frantic yells, "No Naruto, stay back."

Naruto halted and stared at her with a suspicious and rather dumbfounded expression. Sasuke joined him on the suspicious look, while Kakashi shifted his eye to rest on Itachi. With a smirk, Itachi placed his chin on her shoulder, as if rewarding her of listening to him.

"What are you saying? He's molesting you, and you say its okay?" Naruto asked in complete confusion, and Sasuke flinched lightly as the word molesting was uttered. Sakura felt Itachi grinning behind her and suppressed the desire to kick him right in his groin and just jump over to her teammates, leaving the rest of the fight to them. She had taken the mental fight, so the least they could do, was taking the physical one.

Not that she wanted them to sacrifice themselves though.

Sakura consciously ignored Itachi's attention upon her, even though it made her concentrate even more on his hands molding her hips into being flush with his body.

"Naruto, if you attack, he can block and kill you," she hastily explained, as she sensed Itachi's attention shifting to Naruto and the light whiz of Kisame's cloak, as he shifted his weight to his other leg.

"The deal included no killing Sakura-chan," Naruto whined and scratched the back of his neck in confusion. Sakura furrowed her brows and her eyes flashed downwards in dry tears.

"No, it involved him not killing by attacking," Sakura explained sadly, embarrassed, that she had to voice her mistake so openly, and even more embarrassed, that she had failed to stay untouched to Itachi's discrete seduction.

"What are you saying Sakura?" Sasuke asked, as his hand held stiff in the air prepared to grab his shuriken and aim it at Itachi, even Kisame if needed. Naruto's hand was forming his trademark hand seal carrying the strength to unfold Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

"That if we attack him, and he counterattacks - block our attack - he can kill without breaking the deal," Kakashi explained shortly. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and darkened with determination; as well did his jaw tighten. Naruto was confused for a bit, his eyes flickering from Kakashi to Sakura, who was held intimately by Itachi, as some human shield. Then realisation hit him, and his hands slackened the seal.

"Brother, you've gone too far this time," Sasuke growled and clenched his fists, but only received a menacing smirk from Itachi.

"That's some of a slip," Kakashi mumbled, obviously not meant to be heard, but nevertheless did the words reach Sakura. She arched her brows in disbelief, and tugged frantically at Itachi's arm around her waist in an attempt to break free and jump Kakashi in pure anger. To completely no avail though. The arm remained steadfast and strong around her slim hips.

"Wha-what about some compassion? Your student is in danger here, and all you can do is scold her for having overlooked a minor detail?" Sakura quirked in mock innocence. Naruto sent Kakashi an odd look too.

If he had been a stranger and not knowing Kakashi and his way of acting, he never would've pictured Kakashi to be a sensei talking to his student like that in this situation.

Kisame narrowed his eyes at Kakashi. That man was just one weird guy.

"Well, doesn't it look like that minor detail, have caused awfully much trouble?" Kakashi reasoned calmly, as if it was the simplest ever. It was nerve-racking to the very least.

"Well sensei some people like to call it trouble, I like to call it …well…trouble- but so what! You can still at least-"

"What do you say, we end this little… conversation Itachi-san?" Kisame interrupted rudely and turned his head to the left to glare at Itachi. Sakura sent him a death-glare, and wriggled uncomfortably in Itachi's grip.

"Unless you want me to… amuse your teammates, then you better oblige and stay still sweet kunoichi," Itachi whispered huskily into her ear. Within a mere heartbeat she stood stock-still, as if had time been stopped. She even managed to breathe barely audibly, although her heart still beat within her chest, erratic as a rabbit on the run.

Erratic… That brought back not so pleasant memories. Sakura cursed herself. Yes, that episode was truly the weirdest one, she had ever had with Itachi. Not that she had had many that is. The mix of emotions had been as shifty as the weather back then.

The motion of Naruto raising his hands, and creating an oh so familiar seal, made Sakura forget her promise of obliging, and she tried to elbow Itachi, who easily caught her elbow and twisted it enough to get it under control. It pissed her of even more, that when he was twisting it, he was still holding her around her waist at the same time. Then suddenly, the grip around her elbow tightened and the arm around her waist disappeared which sent her tumbling forward.

Bewildered she spun a good 360 degrees and faced an Itachi with a face void of any emotion. He watched her team, Kisame stepping up beside him with a firm grip on his Samehada, prepared to absorb any chakra supposed to be an attack from their opponents.

Sakura was insecure about what was happening. Was Itachi letting her go? It seemed like awfully much trouble going trough with kidnapping her in the first place and then try escape her team, but then just leave her here.

"Solve this matter, kunoichi," Kisame explained curtly, and grabbed his Samehada tighter. Sakura watched in fascination as Itachi's crimson sharingan began to swirl, but before she could watch the full transformation of the Mangekyou sharingan, her attention focused elsewhere, as a blonde-haired male suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, we'll save you-"

Something suddenly snapped inside her. She didn't care if Itachi or Kisame watched. All that bottled up tension and that fake façade she had kept up for months in their presences just faltered in that single moment.

Those words, which had ruined her life, was spoken so fondly and heartedly, that it just crumbled within her.

Roughly, she showed Naruto back, and her inner mind flamed up, making her hair at the back of her neck stand on edge.

"Naruto, can you just fucking listen to me? I tell you to not attack, so get that into that damn thick-skull of yours," she shrieked in a hysterical fit. Naruto blinked and stepped a few steps backwards, nervously scratching his head.

"Eh, Sakura…"

"This is fucking serious", she hissed loudly, and as Sasuke stepped forward to join Naruto, her anger doubled at the sight of him. The one who wasn't supposed to care, but suddenly did nonetheless. Naruto seemed to fumble with the words, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, that she rejected any of his friendly advances.

Sasuke shook his head.

"Sakura, I've never heard you so upse-"

"Because you never listen to me. I'm fine! Just let me handle this on my own for once," she snapped at them, feeling very much like a throughout bitch, like those who constantly stalked Sasuke back at the village. Like a former Ino.

Naruto came his comrade to the rescue, "But Sakura we just want to-"

"I don't want your fucking protection! Do you get it, or do I have to spell it out for you? I may be a mere chuunin, but I'll never be a jounin, if you keep treating me like a genin."

It never did hit her, she was yelling hysterically, her shoulders shaking from fury. Behind her Itachi was feeling awkwardly at unease.

That strange chakra… It was once again eating up her body, and seemed to cling to her like a second presence. He vaguely wondered if it was possible it could have a connection with her genjutsu-strength, since apparently the charka appeared, when she was mentally overly emotional. Both positive and negative feelings seemed to activate that chakra.

Closing his eyes Itachi let his chakra float to her body and mold it with the unfamiliar one. He almost let out a groan of pain, as the chakra rejected his interference with a jolt of pure and raw electricity scraping of his chakra in tissue-like layers.

Kisame eyed him in surprise, as a strangled hiss broke through his lips, though he hurriedly choose to leave Itachi's business to Itachi, and concentrate on the scene unfolding in front of them.

Why Itachi had let her handle this, was really odd, and why her team hadn't just taken her and flown of, was even weirder. It was as if it didn't occur to them at all, that she was free as the bird at the moment.

"But Sakura, that's not what we do. A team protects each-"

"No Naruto! What this team is doing, isn't teamwork! And you know why! Because I've never been a part of this team," Sakura exclaimed in a breathless yell and pointed at Naruto. Silence took over the yells, as everybody stared at Sakura's proclamation. Even she was too shocked at her hot-raged confession, to actually reason it.

"Sakura, you're not being sensible," Sasuke tried slowly, but was cut of short by a flushed Sakura.

"Then tell me why Kakashi-sensei treat me differently! Because I'm a female? The weak gender? Let me tell you jounins a little something: on the battle field there is no thing as a weak gender. Everybody is equal, so why can't it be like that on our team? Never have anybody shown more interest in me that Uchiha Itachi! Do you see anything odd about that, huh? You've never cared about-"

A immediate flash appearing in front of her, she found herself glaring into the onyx eye of her sensei. He looked… well… angry… no, scratch that…furious…

He looked downright furious, and at that realisation, Sakura tipped over her own feet, but regained her balance quickly, as two strong fingers grabbed her chin and pulled her forward. Her hands collided with his chest, and unconsciously, her fingers grabbed the material tightly. Kakashi held her gaze with that intense onyx iris of his, and she felt her body warm up and dampness enter her palms.

Only Itachi had held her this close before, and this was Kakashi of all people. Never had he ever deliberately touched her like… like… like a… woman… He had always just patted her head and ruffled her hair, but this…

The passion in those calloused fingers around her chin and the way his head was inched downwards to create that intensity in his gaze.

A sudden ache trembled down her spine and rested on her supple thigh. Sakura's posture went stiff, and her eyes widened in horror.

**Shit**, this is bad enough when it's Itachi, but not… **not** Kakashi-sensei too…

Kakashi pulled her face up even higher, until they were just that bit too close for comfort, and with a dangerous edge to his voice, he practically whispered as if to add drama: "Sakura, that is enough!"

She could only stare and feel the ache increase, but before she got any chance to investigate the similarity between this ache and the one she got around Itachi, she was roughly jerked backwards.

Kakashi fingers slid of her chin, and his arm fell back in place. Naruto and Sasuke walked up to him with weird glares, but their main-focus was now on Itachi, who held Sakura rather… possessively… by her waist.

Kisame arched his brows amusedly. It was obvious the kunoichi had felt at… ease just before, and if he didn't know better, it was just that little gleam of jealousy in Itachi's eyes that added fuel to his fire of amusement, so to say.

Sakura was spun around forcefully, and Itachi's hand wrapped around the side of her throat and beneath her jaw, tilting it up with raw force.

"Matter is solved", he sneered at her, and Sakura's eyes widened in fear, just before Naruto fortunately interrupted the intense moment.

"Hey you, try grab a hold of this: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a poof of misty smoke, six Naruto's appeared grinning confidently holding up their thumbs and winking with their eyes, almost like a flawless imitation of Gai. Kakashi felt like sighing. How naïve his team could be at times. To think a mere Kage Bunshin no Jutsu would impress and scare two Akatsuki members

… at times without Sakura.

Kisame pretty much felt like laughing out his guts, as he eyed the now doubled over-confident boy grinning at them. Itachi couldn't help but let out a smirk of amusement. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto, while Sakura could only stare at him with a blank expression.

All of the six Narutos jumped forward, but even before they got a single chance to show of, Kisame swept his Sadehama through the air, and all of them vanished like morning dew under the sun. Naruto was caught of guard at the sudden lack of shadow clones, and was left vulnerable for Kisame to place a forceful fist right in his face, that made him let out a huff and float through the snow, to end at the feet of his two teammates. They watched him with disappointment at his stupidity.

Sakura felt guilt sweep over her, a Naruto came to his feet angrily, blood trickling down from his temple. He rubbed his sore nose with fury in his eyes. Sasuke sweatdropped.

Ignoring Naruto and his annoying confidence, Kisame straightened his spine after the hit and stared at Itachi suggestively, "Well, if this apparently is it?"

Itachi nodded firmly. Sakura had no time to take last glance at her teammates, before they leaped from the ground with electrifyingly speed, and with a yelp, she clung to Itachi. As the wind whipped against her warm skin, and her hair cut her face as stinging needles, she could make out the strangled noises of Naruto held back, by presumably Kakashi, from following her.

Before she eventually blocked out every single of her senses, she heard the last words from her two kidnappers.

"What lovely dedication, wouldn't you say… Itachi-san?"

"…It's sickening."

(-)

Sakura bolted right up the warm bed, and her hands started to rub her cold body. Her hair was tousled mess, and she was aware that several knots had formed during her sleep.

_Shit, is just me, or do you tend to fall asleep constantly? By the way, what the hell is this place?_

Licking her dry bottom-lip, she stared in awe at the dark black silk-sheet draped across her form. Then she let her eyes wander the room. She could only watch in pure fascination. The four-poster bed she was occupying, was a huge mass of dark silk, matching the drapes covering the window to her left side. The floor was made of dark and rich mahogany and the walls seemed to shine like pitch-black marble. She was downright amazed. If this truly was the Akatsukies headquarters, then what wouldn't the rest of the building look like?

Slowly Sakura got up from the bed and staggered towards the closest thing, which happened to be a dresser. She leaned up against it heavily and took a deep breath. Why was she so exhausted?

_Oh yeah, I just practically officially quit my team… That's why!_

Her eyes stung lightly, and she bit her tongue, yet no tears and no sobs escaped her.

Why… Why is it? Why is it, I can't… cry…?

"Must have been tough", a sudden female voice spoke up. Sakura let out a gasp and stumbled back into the dresser with a startled expression. Her eyes fell onto a woman kneeling on the floor beside her bed. Slowly she stood up and Sakura was too stunned to do anything.

The woman was simply flawless to every single detail. Her body was supple and curvy in the right places, her face straight and perfectly proportioned, her eyes the most stunning blue Sakura had ever seen, and her hair curly and rich, hanging loosely down to her mid-back.

_Though…Is that a festered cut on her left cheek?_

"Who are you?" Sakura finally managed to ask breathlessly. The woman bowed politely and smiled. Sakura grew slightly suspicious. She hadn't seen a stranger's friendly face for a long time, so she was bound to get at least anxious about this. It could very well be some kind of plot against her.

"I'm Kiiran. Nice to meet you! Itachi-san thought you might want these back", she spoke timidly and handed Sakura her medical bag. Sakura frowned slightly. When had she used that? Had she even had it with her, when they kidnapped her.

_Whatever, at least I have it now._

Shuffling through the dusty items in it, she could joyfully pronounce everything was at its right place. Sakura nodded apprehensively; still not quite sure what to think of this, yet thankful she had her medical sources back if it was needed.

Kiiran suddenly tilted her head a bit to the left and placed a finger on her lip. She looked at Sakura with mercy in her eyes.

"Itachi-san ordered me to help you change for the dinner," she said bluntly. Sakura blinked once.

…Twice.

Then earth crashed on her. She gaped openly at Kiiran, and much to her dismay a heavy and flustered blush of rage crept onto her cheeks, and she practically sputtered with venom: "Dinner?"

Kiiran looked confused and narrowed her eyes. She was sure Itachi had asked her to dress up the ´kunoichi´, but if he hadn't told her at all, she would be dining with him, then was she supposed to tell her? Deciding to take matters in own hands, she wet her lips. As if to soothe Sakura, Kiiran grabbed Sakura's hand with a joyful grin on her lips.

"He haven't told you yet? So typical of him", she sighed in a mocking scold to him. Itachi was just like that. Kiiran had tried several times to deal with his ´whores´, when he had left without warning, and the ´whores´ had returned to an empty bed. Then she was the one to fix out things, yet she just got the feeling this Sakura, was different from the others.

She seemed to fight Itachi's attention upon her, and she seemed to mentally refuse his touches, and make her a true whore. If that was what Itachi had in mind though, but Kiiran wasn't sure at all about this. Overall, it was just weird and unusual. Itachi actually seemed to care for this woman to some extent though.

At least he cared to feed her properly, and be sure she really did feed by being present at the time. He never cared to dine with his whores before. They should take care of their food themselves, and often they weren't allowed using the Akatsukies food, since it was purely for the members.

Okay, they may not be whores, but they surely were something close to.

"What dinner?" Sakura asked in mild shock, and groaned lightly, as her head began to pound uncomfortably. Kiiran gently helped her over to sit at the closest chair, while she hurried over to fix the bed. Sakura watched in confusion.

"You're going to eat dinner with Itachi tonight, and he ordered me to dress you up nicely for whatever reason that might be. Personally I don't think you need to dress up to look nice, but that's just my opinion," Kiiran smiled kindly. Sakura merely nodded, and cursed her headache. Well, that was before the words cut through the pounding and hit her mind as a powerful electrifying wave of acid.

_Dinner. With. Itachi?_

Her voice was suddenly gone, and her hand fell limply down her side.

"Dinner with Itachi? I'm eating dinner with him, dressed up?" she mouthed in complete shock. Kiiran could barely contain her wicked smile, and reassuringly she nodded, and walked the few steps towards Sakura that was necessary to sit down on the similar chair in front of Sakura.

"Don't throw a hysterical fit. He's set his eyes on that dinner, and it stays that way. Trust me, I've refused several times and let's just say, in the end I got more, than what I rejected," she sighed and ran a hand through her curly hair. Sakura's headache went back with full power, and with a heavy grown she let her head fall down onto her arms, which lay on the table.

Kiiran sensed her sadness, amongst fear, and with a small smile, she reached out to pat her head lightly. Sakura's eyes shot open.

_…Kakashi-sensei…_

Yes, indeed he used to pat her head like that, and it was as if that simple gesture overwhelmed her, and she was left completely numb. God, what had she done? She had… she had literally just quit her team, and gone with the bad guys. She had betrayed Konoha. She was like a… a missing-nin… Like an… like and Uchiha Itachi, apart from the killing her only relatives of course.

"Let me give this advice; obey him. You're in his territory, and besides you look rather starved sweetie," Kiiran tried to soothe Sakura but only received a loud snort.

"I can starve just that while longer it takes to stay away from him," Sakura muttered darkly and dug her face deeper down her arms, and shielded off all the light. Kiiran watched her thoughtfully with a small smile on her face. She arched one thin eyebrow, and knocked on the table with her knuckles.

Sakura lifted her head the slightest inch.

"I see why Itachi is drawn to you. You're just like him. Stubborn and fierce," Kiiran smiled, as she shook her head. Sakura glared at the woman before her in a few seconds. Then her mind drifted of again, and her head fell back onto her arms.

"I'm not going to dine with him," Sakura growled and within a second, she stood up from her chair.

With a feral growl, she paced right over to the wall, and banged her small fist into it. Her knuckles almost cracked from the force, though it was strangely calming to feel the pain surging through her entire hand. Without thinking, she heaved her left hand and banged the clenched fist into the wall beside the other. A barely audible groan left her tightly closed lips.

Kiiran watched with sad eyes at the petite girl hammering her fists into the wall. She could hear her knuckles protesting from the force, and before Sakura could injure her hand seriously, Kiiran quickly stepped up to her.

Sakura eyes widened, as she felt a hand gentle grab her one fist on the wall. Her body stiffened at the humanly contact, though it was as if her rage dulled. With a hiss, she removed her hand from the wall. They trembled and looked awfully much like they were misplaced.

Kiiran sent Sakura a concerned glare.

"It's okay. I'm a medic-nin", Sakura replied and Kiiran nodded. Sakura didn't bother to heal her knuckles completely; instead she sent the warmth of her healing chakra through her veins in a somewhat shaky control, just to get away the temporary aching. She could heal it completely later.

"It's not that bad. I've done it before. The dinner I mean," Kiiran suddenly said with a small shrug. Sakura eyed her carefully.

"Are you his… "

"His whore? No, I'm not. However, he has others around here, which he feels strangely possessive about. A few of us believe those are his whores, as you express it," Kiiran laughed lightly. Sakura stared. It was as if it wasn't unusual, as if she took it as a fact of life. Apparently, this wasn't unusual, when it concerned the Akatsuki then.

"Us?" Sakura instead asked and tried to forget, what she just had been told, although inner Sakura had other thing in mind.

No wonder he can make us shake like that with just a look! That man must be a pure bundle of **skill**!

"The other servants," Kiiran fortunately interrupted inner Sakura. What was this? Why had they servants, and why did Kiiran look so strange, when she talked about it.

"So, what would you like to dress up in?" Kiiran suddenly exclaimed cheerfully, and before Sakura could blink, Kiiran was beside her and jerked her up on her feet. With a finger on her chin and narrowed eyes, Kiiran eyed Sakura up and down. Sakura felt exposed, but was oddly calm about it though. Kiiran then let her hands wander through Sakura's thick hair and experimented with it, her fingers curling it up and down.

_Hey, **wait**! I'm not going to dine with him!_

_Oh come on Sakura, you know you want to, and besides you're starving here_, Inner Sakura debated Sakura.

"I think this skintight forest green dress would look just perfect on you! Especially with your slim figure it would look just plain gorgeous."

_I do most certainly **not **want to dine with him!_

_We get free food, and who knows, perhaps he'll even **feed **us!_

Sakura paled. God, she seriously needed to spend more time away from Kakashi and his perverseness, especially her curiosity about Icha Icha Paradise. She had several times wondered how he would look at her, if she just walked up to him and asked, if she could borrow his book for a while. God, he would faint from shock! The innocent saint Haruno Sakura wanting to read perverseness. Could it be anymore funny!

Her trying it for the first time maybe? No, not funny… Pathetic…

_Come on, you're saving yourself for Sasuke!_

_Yeah, but I'm over him, so who am I fucking saving myself for now, huh?_

"And if we braided your hair and set it up with some silk it would match just so nicely with your eyes, especially if we outlined them-"

"I can't get away from this can I?" Sakura interrupted Kiiran with a smile. Kiiran shook her head determinedly and snapped her fingers.

"Sorry darling, but he's set his mind up for you," she grinned wickedly. Sakura nodded, and with a sigh, she let her eyes wander to the cut on Kiiran's left cheek. Kiiran noticed and fidgeted uncomfortably with her fingers, as she sat down on the chair. Sakura bit her lip guiltily, as Kiiran touched her sore cheek with gentle fingers.

"They don't treat us servants as well as you would think," she explained softly, and looked down at the table.

_Just what I thought then…_

"Can I have a look at it? It seems like its festered," Sakura asked, her medic-nin skills coming to good use and her concern for others well-being surging through her. Kiiran looked slightly hesitant, but in the end agreed to it with a nod. Slowly Sakura kneeled in front of her, and with tender hands she began stretching the wound softly. Kiiran flinched, as a transparent though slightly yellow and thick liquid seeped out from the wound…

_Definitely some sort of weapon… Perhaps a kunai, though the wounds seems like having some sort of oval shape…_

Deciding to take Kiiran's mind of the wound, Sakura started talking to the woman on her own age.

"How did you become a servant? I mean, you're absolutely stunning. I bet you could get everything better than this," Sakura spoke softly, in the way she used to talk to her patients. Tsunade had always complimented her for her so natural way of soothing the patients.

"Thank you for your compliment, but… I think you're miscalculating the definition of servant. We're just… well, sex-toys! They can treat us however they want. Last night I got a… a rather short-tempered and… violent one, but they're not all like that. Some are quite gentle… like… like the one time I tried…Itach-kun" she trailed of, as Sakura opened her bag and picked up a homemade ointment made of herbals meant to dull the pain in the wound. Placing a small amount on her index finger, she gently rubbed it onto Kiiran's cheek.

_…Itachi must've slept with many…_

"How did you end up here?" Sakura asked, as she kept on rubbing on the ointment and tried her best to stay passive to her disgust on the outside.

"I was sold!"

"What?" Sakura exclaimed in complete horrification and halted in her motions. Kiiran smiled sadly.

"My family is, or was as far as I know, poor travelers. We lived with different caravans. At the winter we took the ones heading towards south, though one winter it got especially cold and we were all starving, since we hadn't earned any money that year, because of the poor harvest. We worked at a farm where we had gotten temporary job. Anyway, we couldn't pay the necessary amount of money that was needed to travel with the usual caravan. We were forced to follow a caravan heading northeast, since we females could pay with… other than money and then one day Itachi-kun and Kisame attacked that caravan together with some nameless Akatsukies. They caught my family and as to pay for their lives, they sold me. I know nothing of them now. I was given a name, and was told to forget my old one, and truth to be told I can't even grasp the tiniest fragment of it now. Anyway, Itachi-kun took me here, and well…"

Sakura could only stare. She had just told her, her entire life, as if it was nothing. They were practically strangers, and she had just blurted it all out.

_Talk about trust…_

"The other Akatsukies are out tonight, so instead of servicing, well Kisame that must be, Itachi-kun ordered me to dress you up for tonight!"

_That suffix. Why is she calling him kun?_

With a sigh, Sakura slowly stood up.

"Your skin might itch for a while, but try not to damage the ointment. It'll stick to your skin for about two days, and won't come of it water. After those days, you can peel it off with a wet tissue!"

Kiiran smirked broadly.

"Well then, if that's over… Let's make you beautiful!"

* * *

**A/N: **Well, not much to say really… Only:** If you guys like my fic, then PLEASE REVIEW for my sanity!**

**Preview of chapter 6:**

"You want to know what I am?"

"I-Itachi, what are you doing?"

"Tell me, kunoichi, what signifies a predator?"

"…It… It eats… living-beings!"

"What does a predator do, when it has caught said prey?"

"It… plays with it!"

"What does it do then?"

"It… I-it devours it and make if suf-suffer, but what has this to do with-"

"What are you right now?"

"The… Th-the prey…"

"And what did the predator do to its prey?"

* * *

**Review responses:**

**Firefox:** -Hands over blood-bag- -smiles innocently- "Get on with it"

**Midnight-Miko66**: Hey, you'll get itasaki-ness indeed, especially in next chapter, and by the way I'm really honoured you think that last chapter was the second best you've read… It really gives me some confidence here!

**PowerfulMind** You really got a fantastic mind there, but how about put in some mutants and machine-guns! Then we can talk _serious_ stuff. Oh, so you're waiting in anticipation for the second man will arrive… Well, hope this chapter gave you a little "pinpointer" then, but if not just wait till chapter 8-9!

**miaka54321**: Awesome song, thanks!

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including**:peyton, ****akashicrecord****animemistress419****Mrs.Uchiha****, Firefox , ****Midnight-Miko66****Moon Phases****, alice, jennjennr, ****miaka54321****allyluv****PowerfulMind****sillymail****kaitou angel****, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, Truth or Desire)**

**-Frozzy**

21


	6. Predator and Prey

**Title:** Fragility Of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated: **M, because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

* * *

Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

* * *

_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter 6: Predator and Prey**

The room Kiiran had guided her to, was the double size of the room she woke up in, yet it mastered the same black marble and the same black silky-like curtains. The walls were completely bare through, save for the occasional holes in it, most likely from several of different weapons having been aimed wrongly and missed their real target.

In the middle of the room stood a large mahogany-table with long and slender candles of red crimson, which illuminated the table, although at the same time cast it into shadows.

Sakura shuddered. The room was rather chilly. Especially in this dress she wore. She had to remember killing Kiiran later for this. God, she didn't even look like a lady, just like a… seductress, no matter how much it tasted like acid on her tongue to admit it.

Walking to stand in front of a large mirror in the corner of the room, she grimaced.

However,… she couldn't help but stare in awe at her reflection in the mirror. The dress surely was skintight around her torso, and clung to her slim hips, before waving out to pool around her feet gracefully. It was the deepest green, the way you picture forest elves' eyes to be in the fairytales you heard as a child. The fabric was something alike silk, yet soft as cotton. It outlined the gentle slopes of her hipbones and the hem drew a slightly bowed line across the swell of her breasts, and pushed them tightly together, as if trying to make them appear larger… though to no avail, Sakura had to admit sadly.

Her hair truly _was_ tied into two thick braids, which were fastened at the back of her head. It had a tousled look to it, due to the shortest tresses of her hair kept on escaping the braids.

The bath she had just endured, had done wonders to her body, as well as her hair. Her skin was just as smooth and clean, as before she was _kidnapped_. Her sore muscles had also softened and her skin didn't quite stretch as much as it did before, when she moved. However, most of all, her hair wasn't anymore a sticky mass of dirty and greasy hay. Now it smelled distinctly of coconut and lime, and the conditioner she had applied, had made it smooth, soft and wavy again. Just the way she preferred it to be.

Sliding her hands down her hips, a sudden noise made her flinch and spin around with a gasp, only to have two onyx eyes rest on her face.

Itachi…

_His eyes are so… so similar to Sasuke's, when the sharingan isn't on. It's so rare he walks around with it non-activated. I wonder… does it get harder for him to deactivate it, for the longer a period he has it on? Though, since chakra is channeled to his eyes most of the times, it's a wonder they haven't had any damage. The constant flow should hurt the nerves and eventually put his sight to a minimum. _

He didn't wear his cloak, much to Sakura's dismay, since her eyes kept plastering themselves to his muscled pectorals and abdomen.

_God, is he trying to tempt us or **what**?_

"Itachi?" Sakura asked insecurely in her greeting. He inclined his head in a nod, and gestured for her to sit down. Feeling just that tad bit too exposed, she hugged her chest and staggered uneasily towards the closest chair.

Suddenly the chill air had warmed to the point of boiling.

Sakura numbly sat down on the chair Itachi offered her, and waited patiently in silence until he sat down in front of her. She took a deep breath and put up a tense smile.

"Relax," Itachi literally ordered her. She arched her brows, but tried not to get upset. It was for the best to keep low profile during this. There were obviously a reason for him doing this, and whatever reason that might be, she should try to take as long a distance away from it as possible.

Sakura bit her bottom-lip and looked at the plate in front of her, feeling her stomach starting to do knots. Boiled lobster still steaming with warmth, covered with spicy ingredients and finely shaped boats of tomatoes with thin stripes of pale green salad as if to add the last little detail.

Sakura gritted her teeth, suddenly remembering how long it was, since she had last gotten anything proper to eat. She had always slept, when Kisame and Itachi had eaten back at the old temporary headquarters.

Which reminded her of, she had no clue, where they were located now. Whether it was in the east, south, north of west she was completely unaware of. A fact that bothered her. If she had no clue, then her team probably hadn't either, but then why would they care to come and save her, after what she had yelled at them.

_Damn my temper and me! We just **don't** mix... _

"Eat," Itachi said in that monotone voice of his. Sakura fidgeted apprehensively with her fingers under the table. Did he expect her to eat in front of him? She was pretty damn sure, when she first tasted that food, she would eat the rest like some pig, and even worse she would probably stuff just _too_ much into her mouth and end up coughing out it all on the table.

Like Naruto would eat miso-ramen.

Itachi glared at her, his sharingan once more on. Sakura just didn't get it. Why was it necessary with that sharingan now? There was no danger! He surely didn't expect her to humiliate herself by another defeat.

"You're starved," he reasoned patiently, which somehow managed to irk Sakura. Why did he have to be so… indifferent to every thing?

"Aren't you going to eat too?" she asked in mock sarcasm and arched one brow. Itachi lifted his chin a bit, and narrowed his eyes at her, obviously waiting for her to take the clue and just do what he ordered her to… _as if_! Crossing her arm, she felt goosebumps tease her skin, as the chill air hit her.

Itachi noticed her shudder, and quickly – afraid of what he would might do to warm her up – Sakura spoke up.

"I don't like being stared at while eating... And I don't like seafood," she halfway pouted childishly.

_Wow, hold it with the lies there!_

She watched in expectation, as Itachi merely looked at her, before he reached up his hand, to brush away strands of raven hair from his eyes. The tresses curled smoothly around his long fingers, and slid across his skin without any hindrances, before falling numbly down the side of his blank face.

Sakura pressed her thighs closer together and shifted uncomfortably. It was on its way again. Sensually teasing her nerves to stand on edge and her face, probably neck too, to develop a healthy flush. Her palms felt damp against her dress, and she feared, she might wrinkle the material, if she tried drying her palms.

A heavy sigh left Itachi's lips, and he leaned his head onto his clenched fist, so that his knuckles supported his jaw. Sakura felt warm and bothered, as he let his gaze roam the front of her body, which was visible above the table. She narrowed her eyes at him, and wished she had the courage to slide under the table and just run away, yet his intense gaze seemed to hold her captive.

_Girl you are imagining things here! There's no way **Itachi** of all people, would try to seduce you **that** consciously! _

"Kunoichi, why are you being this troublesome?" he asked slowly, uttering every syllable to pure perfection in that deep and smooth voice of his. A flash of Shikamaru appeared in Sakura's mind at the word troublesome.

_Okay… Guess we were wrong…_Inner Sakura smirked victoriously.

_**Shit**, what do I do?_

_Cover it up with anger you idiot!_

"Well, I _am_ hostage! Should I run around cheerfully with a lollipop and throw flower petals and serpentines into the air from a basket?" Sakura snapped at him, and turned her eyes downwards. At this rate, her food would get cold. Itachi seemed to notice her self-doubt, and leaned casually back in his chair, looking as if he had just slung himself there.

Sakura watched in surprise, as he tipped back the chair, and with one smooth glide of his legs, he had placed his feet of the table, leaning fully back in the one corner of the chair.

"If you don't wish to eat, that is your choice, but this is one time offer," he proclaimed, as he reached out for the closest glass. After having poured dark red wine into the transparent glass, he let his fingers slide over the surface sensually, as if caressing it, before grabbing it and placing it at his lips. His eyes slid up above the edge of the glass, and looked at her in mild annoyance. Sakura watched paralyzed, as he took one graceful sip of the glass. He then looked intensely at it in his hand, before he sat it down on the table once again.

Sakura felt blood rush to her face, as his index finger began to trace the circled edge of the glass, and created mild tones of music.

Grabbing a hold of herself - _and _suppressing how odd Itachi was behaving - she took a large gulp of air.

"You mean, I won't get any food after this?" she asked in a shaky voice, which she blamed on the fact that she was scared this could be her last dinner… though she was well aware that was far from the true reason…

"Not of this caliber and amount."

_Can he be drunk? Is he acting so…**carelessly** due to drunkenness? But then, he just can't lack **that **much of alcohol intolerance. He has only taken one sip! And he even started acting like this, before he took that one sip. God, this is just too much happening in barely two days… _

"Oh…" she mumbled timidly, before eventually giving in and reaching for her fork and knife.

(-)

Tsunade sighed, glancing tiredly at the one-foot high stack of papers on her desk. Could it have been anymore boring? Lately Konoha hadn't been busy like usual and there was a humongous lack of missions, which meant most of the chunnins were just wandering around for no purpose, and half of the jounins were bored to the breaking point. Only the ANBU seemed to never having lacked of missions, but then there had been an overflow of those missions ever since the last jounin-exam for some reason.

Shizune had clearly told Tsunade in her own way, that she was bored to the limit too. There could only be two explanations to this. Either it was just a very silent time for Konoha, when the city reached those loopholes where peace just erupted for months, but then cracked drastically, _or_ the new jounins together with the old ones, were simply too fast finishing their missions.

Tsunade sat down heavily on the chair, just as the door slammed open. Her head snapped up, as a blonde boy stumbled in the door breathlessly. Arching one brow, she pulled back from the table to stand up, just as Kakashi and Sasuke arrived behind Naruto.

She hid her _joy_, that now another mission had been finished, and yet _more_ shinobis could stay peacefully in Konoha.

"Kakashi? Already finished the mission?" she asked in slight disbelief and sat down on the edge of the table. Kakashi placed his hand awkwardly behind his hand and shrugged sheepishly.

"Actually, Tsunade-sama-"

"_They kidnapped Sakura-chan_," Naruto suddenly yelled and completely overwhelmed Kakashi's words. Sasuke grabbed him by his collar and dragged him back to them, to smack him in the head. Kakashi watched his two students, as they began their never-ending arguments.

"Well, _that_ and apparently those missing Akatsuki are already taken care of, probably from the organization itself," he explained, and noticed how Tsunade tensed, as he affirmed what Naruto had just about straight forward panicked right into her face.

"And Sakura-chan is missing," Naruto yelled once again, and received a harder hit on his head, which made him slam down into the ground with a groan.

"Sakura is gone?" Tsunade mumbled with a groan and hid her face in her palm. First the lack of missions and now _this. _Well, at least it could perhaps serve as a mission, and do a little something for first said issue.

Sakura had always been quite… valuable to the medicinal sources in Konoha. That girl just had a gift for healing and when she was taught a new thing, she never seemed to forget. Like she had photographic memory, and everything plastered to her brain. She had also been oddly determined to develop, probably to strengthen her strongest skill. Compared to her team, she was far behind them in the combat-skills.

Perhaps that was why, she was just as determined with healing, as Naruto had always been at fighting to become Hokage. He fought to reach his goal becoming Hokage one day and Sakura… she fought to prove, she was worth something…

…_Exactly_ like Hinata did.

That generation of ninjas had been the most exceptional one ever. The skills in that generation had reached the highest peak ever. It was as if Konoha had just erupted at that time, and that could be the reason that now it lacked of reasonable missions to do. The ninjas were just _too _skilled.

Like Lee, Neji, Sasuke, Naruto… Even Sakura in her own way… And Hinata in _her_ own way. Being as mentally strong, as she was.

"Itachi surprised us," Kakashi explained with a strained expression. Tsunade's head snapped up to the level of Kakashi's eye, and she paled considerably. Itachi? What did _Itachi_ want with Sakura? He should be after Naruto. It was a well-known fact between the jounins in Konoha by now, that the Akatsuki organization was after the nine-tails inside Naruto. He even knew himself.

And with Sasuke now truly being friends with Naruto… all the more reason for him to hate his brother!

"Yes, those _freaking_-"

"Calm _down_ Naruto, panicking will not help her," Kakashi patted his student on the head, and made Naruto slap away his hand with a pout.

"Shut up," Sasuke echoed Kakashi in rougher words, which instantly got Naruto upset. He pointed accusingly at Sasuke with his finger and inched close until their noses touched. Kakashi was busy shaking his head, and Tsunade joined him.

"Kakashi, do have any idea, why they have suddenly shown interest in her?" Tsunade asked worriedly, but Kakashi could only keep shaking his head. He did feel slightly useless at this point… and also the fact he had just gotten yelled into his head, that Sakura blamed _him_ for her lack of strength.

It was hard getting to know like that. Getting to know it in a hysterical fit of rage. He didn't blame her though. She had to put the blame on someone, to lighten her own pain due to it, and when he was her sensei, he was the easiest target.

And at some point… he had neglected her just a bit. Naruto and Sasuke had craved so much of his attention and time, that Sakura had mingled just _too_ much with the background… and he hated himself for having done that to her. She deserved so much better, than being neglected like some piece of trash. She had an incredible mind and could use it to so much good, if just her other skills topped just as much… Unfortunately, that was what they just didn't. At least not enough.

And now… it had finally crashed onto her, and it would be hard to get her faith in herself back. However, they would never give up.

_He_ would never give up.

"No, but obviously Itachi has something in store for her," Kakashi replied Tsunade after some time. She blinked and the nodded. With one swift motion, she turned around to grab some blank papers and a pencil, quickly scribbling the general facts down.

"Well, then I assume they are gone missing now?" Tsunade kept on talking, mostly to herself. Kakashi merely nodded.

"They went southeast," he added. Tsunade stopped scribbling for a second, and looked at him, as if seeing if he was serious or not. Then she nodded and placed the pencil on the paper once again.

"Which mean we'll have to locate the exact area," she mumbled to herself, as she took a glance at the finished paper.

_Haruno Sakura: chuunin – missing_

_Location – Unknown (presumably southeast)_

_Status – Held hostage by Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame_

_Ranked - S-class (Uchiha Itachi: missing-nin/S-class criminal - Hoshigaki Kisame: missing-nin/Akatsuki)_

_Assigned ninjas - Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke - Jounins_

"Then, it's official! You're all assigned to this mission. You're newest mission, an S-class, will be to get Haruno Sakura back… After all… Sakura is precious to _all_ of us…" Tsunade proclaimed and placed the paper on the already stuffed desk. She was rewarded with nods from all jounins.

"Iruka might want to know," she added with a shrug and let her eyes rest on Naruto. He blinked dumbfounded, before a sheepish grin entered his face.

"Ne-e, I'll tell him, then he can treat me some ramen," he exclaimed cheerfully. Sasuke glared at him.

"…You truly are simpleminded," he muttered under his breath and placed both hands on the back of his head with a sigh. Kakashi smirked beneath the dark fabric of his mask and arched his brows. Tsunade rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Just because you like starving yourself!"

"Just because I like not being fat!"

"Hey, I'm not _fat_!"

"At this rate you _will_ be!"

"Why _you_-"

"Naruto, Sasuke. We're leaving!"

(-)

"So uhm… How long have you known… Kiiran-chan?" Sakura asked timidly and pierced the salad with her fork, and parted her lips while lifting the now doomed piece of salad to her mouth. Itachi looked at her for some time, before resuming to leave his food untouched and instead play with his knife. His eyes glued to the shining blade, as he fingered it and stroked the blade. Sakura grew slightly nervous at the intimidating act he was pulling.

"For about some years," he then answered slowly. Sakura was slightly surprised; he was willing to keep up the conversation. By now, she had commented everything between heaven and earth, and he had just looked at her, as if she was stupid.

_Just pick up a subject that **interest** him, and he gets all **excited**! _Inner Sakura huffed in envy.

…Envy?

"Oh… and what… use does she have?"

_Use_. The word tasted bitter on her tongue, and she quickly neutralized it with a sip of her white wine. She absolutely hated red wine. Sakura suddenly halted with eating, as Itachi closed his eyes with a smirk. Incapable of stopping herself, Sakura jolted up from her chair, as the knife in his hands had suddenly penetrated the wood of the table, with Itachi's hand grabbing the handle firmly.

"There's no need to act oblivious, kunoichi. I know, she told you," he hissed at her. Sakura gulped and staggered a bit backwards; since her dress prevented her from moving with the usual free space, she had when training. Inconvenience. God, she could be so stupid. He had fucking _planned _this!

"… Why would you do such? I mean you must care for her some, since you obviously wanted me to take pity on her and care her wound back to health! Why else would you bother going through all the trouble, or rather make _Kisame_ go through all the trouble, fetching my medicinal bag from _Konoha_! Yet, even though you're just _using_ her like that," Sakura spat with venom, as she tried to divert his attention from her.

In one swift motion, Itachi slid of the chair, without answering her. Sakura grabbed her chair, and tried to calm her breaths, though Itachi advancing her with confident moves of toned legs, did everything but calm her nerves.

_He wants me to take care of Kiiran's wound, and she calls him kun. Something is definitely missing here. I have to ask Kiiran later, when we're alone… Something is just odd about the two of them… and with him having bedded her- okay Sakura, safe ground, **safe **ground!_

"She speaks of you as if you're… lovers- is that true?" Sakura managed to stutter, as he was a mere step away from her. He stopped, his eyes piercing through hers without mercy. Sakura flinched and the swell of her breasts heaved with her strangled gasp, as Itachi was suddenly inches away from her, his fingers embracing her chin gently.

"…She's just an object for enjoyment. Nothing more, nothing less," he breathed softly with arched brows. The shock hit Sakura without warning.

"_Excuse_ me?"

Itachi chuckled and leaned in to rub his nose against her clenched jawbone. His forbidden scent of pure masculinity and seduction stroked her nostrils in temptation and made her legs go weak. She grabbed the chair tighter, and moved her head away.

"Why are you so upset?"

"Why? _Why_? Because you have no self-respect! Women are not just a piece of flesh for men to gawk at! You're just so- so _unlike_ anyone I've ever met. You act as if you're the ruler of the world, and as if everybody is beneath you and should beg for your mercy to simply just _live_ without your interference! You're so fucking arrogant and selfish that you _pester_ your surroundings as some kind of weird toxin. What fucking kind of… of… _animal _are-"

She never got to finish her sentence, as the chair was suddenly knocked to the ground, and she was lying half-sprawled across the table with a horrorstricken expression. Itachi grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her flush with his chest, meaning her legs parted drastically and slid down on either side of him. The cool air swept up her dress, and made her feel even more exposed.

In panic, she put her quivering hands on his broad shoulders, and tried to keep just _some_ distance, but failed miserably. Itachi forced her head to face his, and her eyes involuntarily rested upon his crimson gaze.

"You want to know, what I am?" he asked in a husky voice, and made Sakura widen her eyes even more.

"I-Itachi, what are you doing?" she exclaimed and grabbed his biceps instead, gasping slightly at the muscled bulge meeting her hand. Itachi pulled her closer and his hand entangled with her hair and grabbed a fistful, destroying her braids.

_God, does everybody have a fetish about my hair or what?_

"Tell me, kunoichi, what signifies a predator?" he asked silkily, which made Sakura squirm beneath his supremacy. She fisted her one hand and slammed it into his chest, but he didn't move an inch.

Her breathing grew desperate and rapid, until it was shallow pants.

_His chakra… It's so… so… it's as if, it's **draining** my body…It's… **dangerous**…**This** is dangerous!_

"_Answer_ me," he hissed at her and tightened his hold on her hair. She let out an audible whimper due to the pain lingering on her scalp.

"…It… It eats… living-beings," she forced out through gritted teeth. Itachi simply nodded, as if he was lecturing her. God, she had never felt more humiliated, than what she did now. If _they_ could see her…Talk about disappointment.

"What does a predator do, when it has caught said prey?" Itachi spoke to her in a flat voice. Sakura struggled against his grip, and kept her lips tightly sealed, persistent on not answering any of these _stupid_ questions of his. Where was he heading with this?

"Well then, if you're in refusal, then let me enlighten you! First the predator plays with its prey until the act gets too boring, then at last it devours it, piece by piece to make it suffer through every single slow and languid bite, that tears its body apart and makes the blood flood thickly down the ground. Can you image that kunoichi?"

Sakura trembled by now. The horrid picture stood clear in her mind and made her blood float with adrenaline. His calm breathing tickled the nerves on her skin, and didn't make the trembling any better.

She forced her head to nod, a bit curtly though… Itachi smirked and nudged her jaw with his nose again. She flinched.

"Then can you image, what you're being portrayed as?" he mouthed to her. Sakura's eyes shot open, and fear shook her body. God, he wasn't… Was he really? Suddenly this intimate position seemed to overwhelm her, and she choked for air, her eyes wide with fear. Itachi merely smirked at her fruitless efforts and held her closer.

"I don't like repeating myself. **(1)**"

Sakura gulped and forced her body to relax.

"The… Th-the prey…" she stuttered in a snarl and moved her head away from him. His smirk grew broad at her defiance, and he had a hard time denying, that was one of her appeals. At least to him it was.

"And what did the predator do to its prey?"

Sakura felt extremely uncomfortable and hated every minute of it. He could very well stick his kunai – which she was sure, he had _somewhere_ on him – into her body and she wouldn't know of it before it had happened. She was so god damn vulnerable, and to be honest she really did feel like the prey.

The prey that just wished to run and escape from the predator.

"Itachi, please, I don't-"

"_What_ did it do?"

She was panicking now. Every nerve in her body stood on edge, and her heart was in overdrive, pumping blood through her body at abnormal speed. If it wasn't for his lack of expression, Sakura was sure Itachi would've looked very much amused and thrilled by this.

"It de-devoured the… the prey," she snapped at him eventually. She just refused to let him win. It could be, that the hunt only thrilled the predator, but the hunt could very well also show the true strength of the prey.

And yes… he was the predator… It was obvious, where he wanted to go with this, and it made her even more frightened.

"And?"

"…made it… suffer."

Itachi nodded at her, his intense gaze never leaving her throat, as he spoke lowly and slowly to her. She even had a hard time, hearing what he said, and considering they were all alone and the only thing that could be heard was her heavy breathing, then it was a fact he spoke barely audible to the human ear.

"So, kunoichi, do you _still_ want to know, what I am?"

Sakura was scared. Plainly scared to the bone, and there was no need to hide it.

"Changed your mind, kunoichi?" Itachi smirked at her and Sakura's breath hitched in her throat, as she felt his one hand slide down her side, to end at her left hip, gently caressing the slope of it with his thumb.

It was as if that act of something alike lust encouraged her.

"I _do_ have a name you know," she hissed at Itachi, who arched his brows at her sudden outburst of rage. Deciding to play her game for a little while, Itachi merely nodded, and inched forward, until his lips brushed the shell of her ear… purposely…

"Changed your mind…_Sakura-chan_?"

…_Oh god…_

Never had her name sounded as… sultry and lustful as it did rolling smoothly over his lips, and her body acted on its own accord. It arched into his warm one, and made her hips grind against his. In that second his eyes lost their blankness and for a second they turned midnight black, but just as quickly as that happened, they turned back to dark crimson.

"Let _go _of me," Sakura shrieked flustered and without thinking, she did the only thing possible to get away from him. Closing her eyes, she pushed her body to the middle of the table, using her feet on his… abdomen as support, and made him loose his grip on her neck. Moving smoothly, she turned 180 degrees on the surface of the table and slid down from it.

Sakura moved her hand to her back out of instinct, but met nothing but air, where she had planned to meet her kunai. Her eyes widened. _Shit,_ the dress! She had no weapon on her.

Her eyes strode across the table frantically and moving quickly her hand grabbed the knife Itachi had punctured into the table.

"So the hunt goes on," she heard his voice chuckle behind her. She smiled evilly, feeling much more confident with the knife in her hand.

"You're twisted and you're sick, just _stay _the hell away from me!"

"Such determination and fierceness when having all the odds against you!"

Just as she was about to turn around and locate Itachi and just do _something _to shut him up, a large hand grabbed her wrist, and acting out of instinct, Sakura tightened her grip around the knife… and aimed.

The jolt of pressure on the knife was left unnoticed to her in her rage, and she only pressed harder…the knife puncturing warm and _very much_ alive flesh.

_Wait… **Flesh**?_

Her body went stiff and a sudden coldness rolled down her entire body. Her jade eyes, which had been closed tightly in her fear, slowly opened, only to met the horrifying sight of her hand holding a knife… _in_ Itachi's left shoulder.

Her eyes went wide, as warm blood flooded out of the wound and covered her hand as a second layer of skin. She couldn't remove it, and even worse, her hand refused to let go of the now blood-soaked handle.

She watched in fear, as his hand – the one not holding her wrist – reached up to encircle her hand around the knife. No sound leaving his lips, he pulled out the knife swiftly, and her hand found the strength to let go of it.

It fell onto the ground with a shattering sound, soaked thoroughly with crimson blood. A sudden heaviness… or tension entered the room, and slowly – almost hesitantly – Sakura's eyes wandered up his neck, and rested upon his eyes… which were dark crimson…

"Run, kunoichi," he stated, as Sakura spun around and ran, but not before hearing his last comment:

"Let's see how long you'll stand the hunt!"

(-)

Never had she had claustrophobia, but no matter how rational she tried to keep herself, she was sure the corridor grew smaller and smaller, the faster she ran. Her head was pounding and her body was heavy with the adrenaline numbing her limbs and making her blood thick with fear. Her skin was damp and her breathing was shallow gulps by now.

It was ridiculous really. The faster she ran, the heavier her body grew. It took all her effort to force her feet keep going in the fast rhythm she had placed in them. Her heart hammered against her ribcage painfully, and she pressed her palm against her chest to gain some pressure to the pain.

The corridor she ran through was similar to all the others, although it was strangely dark compared to the rest of the rooms, she had been in. She kept her one hand on the black marble – the wall -, sliding across it to feel whenever the corridor would do a sharp edging and turn to the left or right.

The dress made it difficult to run and minimized her chances of a quick escape. She could feel it was torn at the edge from being draped along the ground, but she really couldn't care less. Even though she couldn't hear him, she knew, he wasn't far behind. He enjoyed toying with her. She could practically hear his chuckling. And all that prey and predator-talk… he had made it sound so realistic, that she vaguely feared, he honestly _would_ devour her. It was a silly thought though, but he had just made it sound so real, and keeping that poker face all way through… That hadn't helped her suspicion either.

She should stop and end this. He wanted her to run, so she should stop, but it was just so difficult, and somehow Sakura had the slight suspicion, that maybe he was playing with her mind, pulling an illusion or something to make her feel like-

_Oh **shit**!_

Sakura gasped, as she suddenly tripped in the dress, and stumbled into the wall with her shoulder. A broken hiss left her lips, and she hugged her left shoulder firmly. It throbbed with soreness, but she pushed it aside and forced her feet to move again.

However, as she prepared herself to turn to the left, a warm blow of air suddenly collided with her neck, and two hands ran down her sides tenderly, as she was pulled into a warm body.

"Right here, kunoichi!"

His chuckle haunted her ears, as her knees went weak from exhaustion. In anger, she clenched her fist and spun around. Unfortunately, she ended up hitting the thin air, where she had _assumed_ Itachi to stand smirking at her.

She knit her brows in confusion, and was left dumbfounded for a second, before she felt a hand grasp her waist and a single finger sliding up her spine. His breath once again nestled on her neck, only this time his nose nudged at her ear.

"Too slow," he chuckled, and Sakura let out a frustrated growl, though before she could do anything, he had disappeared again, and she was too slow to try locate his chakra, before he effectively hid it like usual.

"Shit, where did he go now," she hissed breathlessly and pressed her back up against the wall, trying to lift her odds for not being caught from behind once again. However, she was too slow to cover her _front_, as she in the instant her back touched the wall, felt the presence of a warm body in _front_ of her.

Within a mere heartbeat, she was pinned to the wall, with her hands high above her head and her knees parted by one of his. She closed her eyes briskly to avoid his intense glare.

"So, how does it feel? Being trapped in the arms of a predator. I can feel your heart pounding. Though of course, that could be due to something… _entirely_ else…" he purred into her ear, and temporarily cut of her voice, by latching his lips onto the shell of her ear and bite down hard onto the sensitive flesh.

Sakura bit her bottom-lip and forced down the shiver, which tried to take over her body. The feel of his body against hers, heavy and warm, made it hard for her to breathe properly and made her skin even damper than ever. His words rang in her ears, and she realized to her own horrification, that he had been right down to every point.

She _was_ scared but… there was something else too… Something she instinctively termed as sinful and wrong.

With a light growl Sakura squirmed defiantly against his hold, despite that it seemed to only make her body heavy and warmer than before, grinding up against his like that. His dark laughter hit her ears.

Then his presence was suddenly gone and the only thing lingering was his forbidden scent. Sakura drew in a much-needed breath, and her hands latched onto her throat, as she gasped for air. Her body trembled with exhaustion, and she was on the verge to tears. This wasn't fun. She was scared. Scared like hell. He was a killer, and somehow that fact had suddenly overwhelmed her here in the dark, playing this _stupid_ game of supremacy.

Sakura hugged herself tightly and with a heavy sigh, she let her body slide down the wall. Her body shook and her bottom-lip was swollen from her teeth digging deep down into it.

The silence was testing her patience, and she felt incredibly vulnerable, yet right now… she didn't care…

To be honest… she… she wanted him to hold her. She wanted Itachi to hold her. During this _hunt_… it all had crashed upon her once again. Everything. She just wanted his arms to embrace her in comfort. She didn't need any soothing word, since that was seriously pushing the limit concerning Uchiha Itachi, but still… if he would just… come out and hold her…

"Itachi-san… I surrender. You win," she mumbled in refusal and relaxed the tension in her shoulders. She waited patiently for him to make his arrival, and soon she felt him stand with his phenomenal tallness in front of her. She couldn't see him in those eyes though. Not just yet.

"Why'd you give up?" he asked in that plain voice of his. Sakura snorted and with difficulty, she pushed up her body from the ground. Removing strands of her pastel hair away from her eyes, she turned to face Itachi, her eyes hard and determined.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and poked him in the chest with her index finger, watching as his eyebrows arched at her.

"Because I don't want to be a puppet fulfilling your wishes," she snapped at him and placed her free hand on her hip. If this hadn't been Itachi, Sakura could've sworn, she saw a flicker of amusement lighten up his eyes, but this was Itachi, furthermore _Uchiha_ Itachi. And he _never_ found anything amusing.

"That's not it. You just don't understand it, do you?" he chuckled lightly. Sakura practically fumed by now, and hiding that he was actually true, she crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Pray tell, _make_ me understand it! Why can't you just activate it, and get it over with? I'm tired of this and-"

"There are consequences of that act," he stated calmly and crossed his arms as well.

"At some point, it _must_ be done, so why not now?"

And there they stood. The fierce pink-haired kunoichi from Konoha and the sly s-class criminal, missing-nin and former shinobi of Konoha, glaring at each other with equal defiance.

Itachi took his time to choose his words with care. It was so easy to make her drop her composure, and he had everything set in on doing it. Sakura on the other hand was busy staring down Itachi, while her mind instead was working on forming a plan to get farther away from this man.

"So you wish for me to activate it?" Itachi muttered under his breath. Sakura nodded, even though it had been more of a statement than a question. It wondered her, she dared being so defiant against him, also that both of them seemed almost comfortable by now. As if they were two old friends just quarreling.

Well, that friend-theory was quickly disregarded, as his hand shot out to grip her wrist tightly and pulled her into him, his lips closing in on her ear.

"Is that by any chance… an _order_… Sakura-_chan_?" he asked barely audible. Sakura's eyes widened. The sensuous pronouncement of her name sliding across his lips, made her momentarily forget the danger it caused being this close to a s-class criminal.

It wasn't until she felt his slender fingers slide _down_ her waist, instead of upwards as he had taken a habit of doing, that she began to struggle against his grip.

"Always so resistant," he smirked and bit her jaw playfully, though that was left unnoticed to Sakura, as her attention was diverted to the nimble fingers playing with the hem of her dress, occasionally brushing the sensitive skin on her mid thigh.

"W-what are you doing?" she snapped brokenly at him. His smirk grew even broader.

"In order to activate the seal and get this deal _over with_, I must touch you _intimately_. That's a fact dear kunoichi!"

He was teasing her. She just knew it, although she couldn't deny the fact it gave her a great deal of pleasure having his fingers stroking her at a place so close to that numbing spot on her thigh. Forcing her mind off that thought, she reached down to grab those fingers with her own hand. As she tired to grab that wandering hand, her own hand was suddenly the one caught in _his_ grip and forced aside with a soft slap.

"Bu-but I thought-"

"The seal is based on physical pleasure and enjoyment," Itachi reasoned and glared proudly at the red pulsating bite marks on her jawbone. He gently traced a particular sore one with the pad of his finger, before leaning down and kissed it in a feathery brush of his lips. Sakura practically melted into him at that point.

"You're saying its based on… sex," she timidly mumbled and felt her cheeks flush. Itachi felt the heat from her face. Such innocence. It had been a long time, since he had last stumbled upon innocence, being in the business he was in, and furthermore being an Akatsuki.

"You express it rather… plainly, but yes," he affirmed her words, and felt her stiffen in his embrace.

"Ita-Itachi, I changed my mind," she stuttered and tired to pry him of her, by placing her damp palm on the shoulder, that she hadn't injured, or more like stabbed with a very much blunt knife.

However, where her hand should've pushed him away, it instead clung to the material of his fishnet t-shirt, and even seemed to draw him closer to her.

He laughed bitterly.

"At some point, it _must_ be done, so why not now?"

_That jerk… Using our **own** words to **his** advantage… _Inner Sakura complained wildly. Sakura didn't hear her inner mind at all in her sweet bliss of oblivion.

Slowly, as if debating with himself whether she truly was ready or not, he fell onto his knees with her following him. He felt her heavy breaths, and with a light smile tugging his lips, he raised his hand. His fingers softly ran down her jawbone and ended at her chin.

"Such flawless skin. A sin to leave untouched," he whispered barely audible. Sakura froze.

"Itachi…"

He stared at her. That skin. It was so tempting, so arousing, so incredible supple and soft. Gulping Itachi felt his fingers itch to rub that particular spot down her thigh, yet his rational mind fought bravely against his libido. The one aching for the woman beneath him.

Inching down, he latched his lips onto her neck, and his hands grasped her shoulder, pushing her firmly up against the wall. Her spine arched gracefully into his chest. Feeling her body pressing against his, and hearing the breathless pants sliding pass her lips, pushed him over the edge. Sakura, unfortunately, didn't seem to notice the darkening of his eyes, and the desperateness surfacing in those crimson irises.

His rationality blown away, he inched down and lightly nibbled at her ear as if to soothe and comfort her, and before even acknowledging himself, what he was doing, his fingers slid _all_ way down her trembling body, down to the hem of her dress, and without any hesitation pushed it upwards.

It suddenly became clear to Sakura, that he wasn't just teasing anymore.

A strangled gasp left her parted lips at that realization, and humiliation surged through her entire body, yet before she could try to avoid his caressing hand, it connected with _that_ throbbing spot. A flow of unfamiliar chakra coursed through her.

Her whole body stiffened and her eyes opened with shock. Her hands grabbed tightly onto Itachi. It was as if something was stuck in her throat and made it ache so painfully…

"Itachi, I-I can't breathe," she gasped with fear entering her voice. She felt his hand gently reach up to stroke her hair, and he held her closer to him, as she fought the pain tearing her body apart bit by bit.

"I-Ita… chi", she choked and held onto him tightly. His hand kept stroking her hair away from her eyes.

The tight spiral inside her sent throbbing pain through her entire body and made it ache mercilessly. She could almost feel _predators _taking bite by bite of her flesh, their teeth digging deep down into her inner organs and puncturing them open.

In the pain clouding her mind, his voice cut through as a lightening bolt.

"Relax. Let me help," Itachi whispered to her, before he leaned fully in, his lips hovering above her swollen ones, and then he captured them softly. Sakura responded immediately with her eyes battering open and her body arching.

The feeling of his lips molding hers open, and his tongue coaxing her into sweet bliss, made the pain slowly vanish from her body.

Instead a violent rush of warmth and something deeper and much more soulful thrilled through her as their lips made contact, and left her limbs heavy and numb, as well as her mind. Itachi felt her body go limp, he couldn't help but be amused.

The skin on her thigh his fingers brushed in circular motions, seemed to heat up several degrees, and he could practically feel the blood rushing to the surface, and pounding through her veins.

As the pads of his fingers brushed the sore spot on her thigh more firmly, a sudden wave on embarrassment rushed through him. He frowned and his spine stiffened in shock. Embarrassment? He had never been embarrassed before! What was all this about? Glaring down at the kunoichi in his arms, he noticed her flushed cheeks and her teeth anxiously nibbling on her bottom-lip making it swollen and red. Ignoring the urge to bend down himself and bite that tempting lip -he was only human, a male nonetheless- he forced that odd emotion of embarrassment to leave his body.

One again he averted his eyes to the kunoichi. She was the one embarrassed, _not_ him.

_Oh god! He may look good – and remind you of Sasuke - but he isn't Sasuke. Besides you got over **him** remember! God, get a **grip** girl- oh **no **not his lips- **God** - Please don't, not that spot- oh no! What is he **doing** to me?_

Itachi couldn't help but smirk. Well, at least the seal now worked.

_Yeah, what the hell do you think he is doing, you silly jerk? He's fucking about to **fuck** you senseless, to shag you into oblivion, and all you do is freaking moaning like some whore! _

Startled by her sudden foul language, Itachi tensed and his eyes widened just the slightest inch, but still not enough to barely seem visible. That strange power he had felt within her, was once again surging through her veins and heated up her body, mixed with the heat of arousal within her. Could it be…?

_I know what he's doing, got it?- Oh, he tensed! What now? Is he unpleased? Did i do something wrong? Oh god, what did I do?_

Itachi frowned, but enjoyed her sudden fear of him displeased with her. It was almost as if that strange power was…

_The fucking hell with what you did, just jump him already! He's fucking too sexy for his own good! _

…. A second mind. An opposite of her appearance.

"I-Itachi, your… your shoulder… " Sakura suddenly mumbled and made Itachi stop in his intoxicating seduction of her body. He glared at it. Blood clothed to his shirt and having tried this several times, he knew if the wound didn't get fresh air anytime soon, it would get infested.

Sakura was still breathing heavily beneath him, as he moved his gaze to her.

Staring her into her eyes, he activated his sharingan and watched, as she fascinated let his mind intertwine with hers and slowly pulled her down into sleep.

However, just before she let the fake sleep take over her body, she heard his voice deep inside her mind.

"Only one petal stands out from the others."

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(1):** Ah, bless the badass-lines

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**A/N:** THREE FUCKING DAYS! I made this in three fucking days, three days where I was on work every single fucking afternoon and evening! God, my fingers are practically bleeding by now…

-cough-

Well, the last lines in this chapter would've worked as an ending, if they seal hadn't just been activated, but nah! Not even I'm that evil! nd yet _ANOTHER_ 20-pages long chapter… To think i started out with 12-pages chapters.. The last ones have all been around 20…

Anyway, **please click that nice little purplish button down the left corner on the screen**… Please? **I'll give you cookies if you do! **Chocolate-cookies!

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Preview of Chapter 7:

_Oh god, we're **so** not going to survive this!_

"Kunoichi!"

"Oh yes, the wound… Uhm would you… li-lie down please. It'll be easier for me to uhm…"

_Why the hell didn't I stab him elsewhere? Why the **hell** his shoulder! Why that incredibly **muscled** piece of body- okay, **hold** it there Sakura!_

"Itachi-san, I have to… I have to get more space around the wound, if I'm going to… to channel my chakra through it, so could you please… take of your shi-shirt?"

"The material is stuck to the wound!"

"Oh… Then… Then we have to cut it of!"

"Well, kunoichi, is this getting anywhere?"

"What?"

"I have an injured shoulder. Do you want me to cut my shirt myself?"

…_Oh god…

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**Review responses:**

**Jennjennr:** And as usual your review made me giddy all day long! You really have a way of motivating me with those words of yours, so a great deal of the fast updates to this story is due to your detailed reviews! Sex-slaves? Develop? Oh yes, that thing is going to have _great_ importance later. And you wonder what Itachi has planned for Sakura… Heh, well, you just have to wait and see!

**Miakoda13**: Okay, I made her hysterical… - hides face in hands – I know… Oh yeah, and you asked if Itachi don't do whores. Well, as you see Kiiran is somewhat kind of special to him, for a reason I can't tell you, because that'll spoil the rest of the story for you. Though, as I came from, Itachi _only_ do Kiiran, and perhaps a few others too, I haven't really decided that yet. However, Kiiran is definitely one of _his_, again for the reason I can't tell you… Sorry, but hope it's a good enough explanation for you!

Oh wait, Kiiran _was_ his! Lately he hasn't been doing anyone…

**xxxSethKisaraxxx** AAAAHHHH, ONE OF THE BEST! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, you've made me happy!

**akashicrecord** Yep yep, and here was yet another preview for you!

**wynter89:** I'm seriously glad you like the plot and how I portrays Sakura. Heh… I've always wondered whether people truly do like the plot, and you're the first one to actually say it so here's a cookie for you! …You want some milk too?

**lilyandpebbleshuman** Really? Like a movie? Cool!

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_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including**akashicrecord, animemistress419, jennjennr, miaka54321, sillymail, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, lilyandpebbleshumanFinalsoul, yami1, wynter89, selandoraSatuAkasilvyaxxxSethKisaraxxxMiakoda13FreesiaThe Crimson ChronicRedwillow123XUchihaSerenaX, CHICA DE LA LUNA FANTASMA)**

**-Frozzy**


	7. The 7 Deadly Sins: Lust

**Title:** Fragility Of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** M, because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyuubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

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_**Chapter Dedication:**_

**_miaka54321

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_**

**Warning:**

Dream-sequence may offend those beneath the limit of 16 years (Yeah, I know you guys are reading this. No offence though! I'm only cheering for you people wanting to read my fic…. )

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**Fragility Of The Sakura**  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter 7: The 7 Deadly Sins: Lust**

…_Hot_

…_Sweaty_

…_Passionate_

…_Fierce_

_His body moved atop of hers, glided in sensual motions against her damp and heated skin. The deep growl in the back of his throat and the muscled chest… arousal. Her body pounded with deep and hot arousal. The way those muscles, rippled beneath smooth and sweaty skin, flexed in an almost ethereal grace with every slow and torturing pound of his body into hers. It was intoxicating. His damp raven locks of his hair clung to his shoulders and the front of her chest, while his calloused hands caressed her body in sheer gentleness. His left hand fondled with her pastel hair, and her neck arched in exposal to him, though which he ignored, only to pay attention to her lips. Swollen and bruised with former kisses of passion. _

_His mouth slanted on hers, prying her lips open and coaxing her tongue into a sinful challenge of supremacy, his teeth nibbling on her swollen lower-lip, tasting and devouring her soul and savoring her unique taste of coconut and lime. The molten crimson irises pierced through her mind and forced her deepest desire to break the surface. _

_A loud, pleasurable cry of ecstasy left her parted lips. The way he stretched her and fit her so tight and snugly, as if they molded into one piece. His warm hands slid down her sides, to end on her waist, pressing her closer to his damp and muscled body, a husky growl hissing through his gritted teeth. Her eyes closed with a brisk force, and she bit her lip. _

"_I-Ita…chi", she moaned in a stuttering whisper on the way to transfiguring into a wholehearted sob of pure bliss. Her fingers entangled in his silky night-like tresses, and brought his mouth closer to hers in a frantic plead of attention. He obliged, and deepened his effort, making her thighs flex, and forcing her to break the kiss to practically scream out her bliss in the shape of his name-_

With a jolt coursing through her, her eyes shot open from the haze of a passionate dream. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, her pulse was erratic and rapid, her breathing was deep and husky and her skin damp and glistening with a velvety layer of bodily odors.

_I don't believe it… I actually just had a dream like… that… about **him**!_

Sakura shuddered, as she suddenly felt awfully cold, although she was still dressed in the now torn dress. With a sigh she realized, she probably had to go and change. This was far from proper and decent clothing to wear. Though to be honest, she feared, she wouldn't be able to stand, judging by the way her legs trembled and her skin clung to the sheets in an itching wetness. As a matter of fact her whole body shook… and _not _from cold. Rather from the very opposite of that.

_I've never had those kinds of dreams before… Not even with Sasuke, as I crushed on him in my younger years…_

_Well, you were hell of a lot more innocent back then_, Inner Sakura countered back. Sakura shook her head and tried to cool down her body, just as a figure emerged out of the shadows of the room. She narrowed her eyes at the person. It was sitting silently by the dresser, cross-legged and with a calm composure.

"Enjoying yourself?" the silky voice echoed through the room. Sakura bit her lip and forced down the sharp reply already clinging like acid to her tongue, although she couldn't quite ignore the signifying blush creeping onto her cheeks. In all honesty, she really did want to punch him straight in his face, but that would be tempting fate. And currently she was in no position to do that.

With a groan, she managed to sit up properly on the bed.

"Itachi? What are you-"

"Get decently dressed and come over here," his voice was stoic and harsh. For a moment, Sakura feared this actually was her doom, though as he gestured with his hand for her to hurry up, she was slightly comforted. If he had wanted to kill her, why not just doing it while she was asleep?

_Because he's a sinister killer, who enjoys torturing his victim,_ Inner Sakura chanted.

Sakura scowled. Oh yeah, now her confidence _really_ swelled.

Sakura reached up a hand and moved away the lock of pastel hair clinging to her sweaty forehead.

"You expect me to change in front of you?" she asked in mock sarcasm and arched one brow. She couldn't exactly see him, though she was doubtlessly sure, in that moment his eyes flashed to crimson and desired to pierce right through her body. As if mocking her expectation, Itachi slowly rose, his cloak following his smooth movement elegantly.

Sakura narrowed her eyes a few inches and as a reflex, her hand slid up to clutch at the front of her torn dress, and pressed against her ribcage, in where her heart pounded like a trapped bird. It may be she was confident in her words, but her posture failed to act that way.

With confident slides, Itachi was standing beside the bed, with his crimson eyes paralyzing her into complete stillness. She barely dared to breathe, though that was until he kneeled at the bed and every so slowly lifted his hand.

Sakura stared at the graceful hand, as it reached her arm. She swallowed, patiently waiting for the hand to jerk her of the bed. In fear of that, and despite what her inner mind yelled at her, her eyes shut close as a reflex, just as…

…Soft lips pressed onto hers in a featherlike brush of warmth. Sakura's eyes shot open. Apparently, she had suddenly forgotten how to breathe properly. Then gentle, yet firm, lips caressed hers, like a poet would describe a warm and glowing sunset, and engulfed her with innocent passion. However, before she had the chance to enjoy the attention upon her tingling lips, it was gone.

…. And a sinister chuckle followed, before she was yanked of the bed by a hand entangled with her hair. She didn't even dare letting out the yelp of pain, as she was crushed to his chest, his lips inching down to rest beside her ear.

"It's not like you have anything to be modest about!"

Then he let her go, and strode back to sit up against the dresser.

And as incredibly unbelievably as it sounded… that hurt…

"Could you… at least…turn around please," she asked timidly a bit of sadness lingering to her voice. Itachi narrowed his eyes and observed her sudden lack of confidence, though averted his eyes the other way. He still hadn't moved to turn his back to her, but Sakura guessed it didn't get much better, than what it already was. He sounded really… angry with her.

_Well, you **did **just stab him before! Hey wait, for how long has I been unconscious?_

With a sigh, Sakura quickly grabbed the cloak already placed for her. Not bothering to remove her torn dress, she simply put on the cloak. Thankful that it covered most of the sacred areas where the dress was torn, Sakura thought, she looked quite modest once again.

"If you are done, grab your medical bag and get over here," Itachi said a bit gentler than before, yet not gently at all. As she reached him with timid eyes and trembling legs, he eyed her for a second, before inching forward. She knew, what he expected her to do, yet she was slightly offended, as she by fact knew, he was quite capable of healing himself. Of course, he just wanted to make her feel even more pitiful and guilty, by confronting her with her _masterpiece_.

"Does it really take such plain words to hurt you that badly?" he suddenly asked, as she eventually reached him. She felt rage roaring in her chest, but she clamped it shut with the guilt roaring inside her heart.

"I'm not hurt," she said proudly, and stood her ground steadily with the bag in her hands. Why she hadn't kneeled by his side, was a wonder to her. Or more like why he hadn't moved up to stand, since at the moment, he had allowed her to stand being the tallest. Not that she was tall enough to even seem intimidating in _this _position, but it was more just the fact of it.

"Then why do you avoid my eyes?" he continued relentlessly. Sakura resisted the urge to sigh, and instead she stood completely still, as he finally decided to stand up. The memories of what had just recently happened were still quite fresh in her mind, and she was in no condition, emotionally or otherwise, to have that same thing repeating itself again.

"You're not fond of your body are you?" Itachi stated so formally, that Sakura was sure, she would have thought, he was presenting himself in front of the Hokage, hadn't she been capable of understanding the actual words.

Sakura clutched the front of her cloak uneasily, and gathered the courage to stand up to his blunt assumption.

"What's it to you?" she mumbled with a streak of defiance and stubbornness lingering to her voice. Itachi eyed her for a long second, before he waved of her question with the blank look in his crimson irises.

"'Clean the wound," he commanded with his usual coldness in his voice. Frankly, Sakura felt like beating him up, until he couldn't walk properly anymore, or even until he was just a bloody pulp at her mercy… Hurray for the imagination…

"Could you please lie down on the bed, then?" she asked suggestively, knowing he would probably just turn her down, and make her work even harder to complete the task. However, as she patiently awaited his refusal, he let out a faint noise of obedience, and gracefully came to his feet. He never faltered in his grace. Not even when he made his way confidently towards the bed.

Not in the mood to deal with the sight of him, she closed her eyes and turned her head slightly to the left, as he began shrugging of the cloak. He tossed it beside the bed, and within a second, he was lying on the bed.

Sakura took a deep breath, and dared open her eyes to reveal jade orbs. Indeed, he was lying down. The only problem was, he had placed his non-injured arm behind his head, and had heaved his chest, the shirt doing nothing but outlining those firm muscles on his chest.

Itachi had closed his eyes, although he could clearly feel how the kunoichi's eyes rested upon him and graced his body. He could even feel that the intimidation posture he performed, got to her even easier, than he first had thought.

He fought back the coy smirk on his lips, and instead sought to make her heal him. To be honest, he could heal himself much faster and better, than she could, but in the end, it would do him no fun. The kunoichi though, entertained him much more than anything else ever had done in a long time, and the harder he played, the harder she reacted.

Sakura felt rage still roaring inside her chest, and she hastily used it to force down her uneasiness by seeing him in such a position. Not to forget, a male was lying in the bed, she had slept in mere minutes ago.

That could make any girl's heart beat fast.

_Oh god, we're **so** not going to survive this! _Inner Sakura trashed wildly and started tearing at her hair, looping and bouncing around inside Sakura's head. Sakura scowled at her traitorous inner mind.

"Kunoichi!"

Imagining Itachi was yet another patient of hers, she slid over to the bed with professional and stern steps.

"Oh yes, the wound… Uhm would you…move you arms down. It'll be easier for me to uhm…".

As easily, as she had gathered that professional attitude, she lost it within mere seconds. Her left eyebrows twitched with unease, and she felt her palms gather the usual dampness coming from anxiety. Her eyes averted to his face. He has closed his eyes, his eyelashes long and pitch-black against the paleness of his eyelid. Her fingers itched to reach out and caress those lashes.

Then her eyes slid down his perfectly straight nose, the soft lips – a tremor shot through her – and down the column of his neck, ending at the injured shoulder The blood clothed to the fabric as if were it fighting for its life.

_Why the hell didn't I stab him elsewhere? Why the **hell** his shoulder! Why that incredibly **muscled** piece of body- okay, **hold** it there Sakura!_

Sakura took a deep breath, and kneeled beside the bed, his injured shoulder right in front of her. She swiped away the hair covering her eyes and inched closer to the wound. Ever so gently the traced the area with her finger without deliberately touching the sore skin. Her heart pound steadily in her ears, as if awakened to the scent of pure male and the proximity of the opposite gender.

Gulping down the growing heat inside her, she leaned back and bit her lip. A bad habit from her younger years really. She watched in slight fascination, as his chest heaved and fell in sync with his clam breathing. It almost sounded, as if he was asleep, even though Sakura knew that was a stupid assumption.

She reached down to open her bag; meanwhile she used that distraction to say the words, which had caused her head to spin ill at ease.

"Itachi-san, I have to… I have to get more space around the wound, if I'm going to… to channel my chakra through it, so could you please… take of your shirt?"

She knew, she was practically as red as a cherry by now, and took her time finding the needed ointment to rub on the sore flesh, that would have restored by the end of the task. To say she was calm about this, was saying the sky was purple with yellow dots and red stripes.

As she felt, she couldn't push it any longer, she took a deep breath and faced him. He was watching her intensely, his eyes instantly piercing through hers, as she dared to let her gaze daze of to his. He had one gracefully shaped eyebrow arched, and had popped up on his one elbow, that belonged to the healthy one of his shoulders.

Sakura couldn't deny how that position, made his torso swell with bulges and solidness.

"The material is stuck to the wound," he reasoned calmly. Sakura looked dumbstruck for a moment, then a profuse blush crept onto her cheeks, and to her horror, a very vivid image of what was now necessary to do, plastered to her mind as well as vision.

Itachi looked patiently at her. He obviously waited for her to voice the solution to the ´problem´.

"Oh… Then… Then we have to cut it of," Sakura eventually muttered with sigh. Trying not to faint from humiliation, Sakura ran a shaking hand through her hair and took a deep intake of air to calm down her jumping nerves. With Naruto's lack of inhibitions, Sakura _had_ seen more than necessary of the male and the male's body over the years, but she had never been as stupefied by it, that she was by Itachi's _clothed_ form.

"Well, kunoichi, is this getting anywhere?" his smooth voice cut through her barrier of thoughts.

For a moment, Sakura realized something very important.

He hadn't even undressed his chest yet. Why the heck hadn't he just cut the shirt already?

Sakura stared at him with a struck expression, "What?"

Itachi glared at her impatiently, and she felt exposed under the intensity of that exact gaze. Itachi growled and with a heavy groan, he tilted onto his back. The sheets wrinkled against his body, until he found rest.

For a long moment, there was only her heavy breathing occupying the atmosphere, until an amused snort left Itachi's lips. He kept his eyes closed.

"I have an injured shoulder. Do you want me to cut the shirt myself?"

…_Oh god…_

Sakura skin was on the verge of literally boiling, and she was sure, she could very well picture a lobster right now. Okay, she really did have a limit. He could ask her, hell even force her, to do the most ridiculous things like fetching potatoes or break the leg of a table, and she wouldn't complain.

However, when he deliberately asked her to _cut _his _shirt_ and reveal his _torso_ right before her eyes…

Then she sure as _hell _had a limit!

Not to forget she would have to _touch_ him. Fidgeting with the hem of her cloak, Sakura debated with herself whether she would sacrifice her dignity by obeying his demand. She could even picture inside her head, how it would look, as his chest would reveal itself. Damp and warm, solid and firm, bulged and rippled.

_Her fingers entangled in his silky night-like tresses, and brought his mouth closer to hers in a frantic plead of attention. He obliged, and deepened his effort, making her thighs flex, and forcing her to break the kiss to practically scream out her bliss in the shape of his name-_

A certain itch stroked her spine joyfully and coaxed her body into the first base of arousal.

"….Actually, I don't think, I need larger space. I can do just fine with what there is. So, if you could just-"

"Kunoichi!"

Sakura flinched, and the rage fuming inside got the better of her. She placed one hand on her hip and glared down his face with a sneer, "What?"

Itachi slowly opened his eyes, immediately connecting their gazes and Sakura felt the annoying little spot on her thigh start throbbing. Itachi watched Sakura shift uncomfortably in her position on the floor. His shoulder had by far gone numb and the wound held no soreness, yet he was persistent on letting her face, what she had caused.

He never did work halfway.

"Cut it open!"

Sakura's face faltered into shock, and she lost her composure. Itachi couldn't deny, how much he enjoyed playing with her. When she thought, she was on safe ground, he would always push her over the edge… and she never learned how to stand her ground. A pity actually. Yet it only heightened his enjoyment, so he really shouldn't be judging her actions.

Sakura could only watch in a petrified haze. Had he just… ordered her to practically _strip_ him?

Heat pooled in the pit of her stomach and her mouth went dry. It was a simple command really, although it had much of a bigger matter than just that. Itachi glared at her with that arrogant and coy expression tugging his elegant features, and the fact Sakura had managed to notice this so-called elegant features, only pissed her of even more. Why did his looks inflict more damage on her mind, than his sinister and cruel behavior did? God, it was so frustrating.

And the way her fingers ached to run through those smooth locks of raven, only made her even more frustrated. Her body _always_ betrayed her. As well as her Inner mind too…

_**Jump him**! NOW!_

"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief, but only received an arch of one eyebrow. Sakura sensed his growing hostility and impatience, and quickly she brought up her hand to cover for her chest in defense.

"Uhm…I really don't need to and it would be a shame to destroy- _Itachi-san_, don't strain it," Sakura shrieked frantically, as Itachi pushed himself up on one elbow, his shoulder putting strain on itself. Sakura watched apprehensively, as the wound stretched and fresh blood started to leek from it. Reacting on instinct, Sakura reached forward and placed her hands, now steady, on his chest, feeling his muscles twitch at her sudden touch.

Then she froze. Her palms spread out on his chest, and her torso and face frighteningly close to his.

Itachi watched her fuming face softening up with shock. The feel of her hand pressed firmly against his chest, was enough to make his head dizzy and light. Those petite hands that was barely half the size of his own. Touching him so innocently in a try to help him.

"Kunoichi, cut it open. Now."

His voice was husky and deeper than usual. He noticed Sakura flinch at that fact, and then she drew sharply back, falling on her rear end. Her hands braced her fall a bit though. Itachi let out a dry chuckle at her retreat.

…Which made her snap.

"What _is_ it with you? Why can't I decide myself, whether or not I want to cut open your fucking shirt, huh?" she snapped at him and got to her feet. Itachi watched in fascination, as she grabbed her bag in anger, just to have something busying herself with.

"At this rate the wound will get infested," he informed flatly. He had no time to avoid the sharp retort being fired instantly.

"Well, its not _my _fault somebody insist me on cutting-"

"What are you scared of?" he cut her of without missing a single beat. Sakura was caught of guard by that simple question, and furthermore she was blinking stupidly at him.

"I'm not _scared_ of anything," she huffed and quirked one eyebrow.

"Then cut open the shirt!"

Sakura let out a struggled groan, "_Fine_! Just _lie_ down then."

Sakura fingered out her kunai from her pocket, not bothering to search through her bag. Placing her one palm on his healthy shoulder, she looped slightly over him, unconsciously giving him a very good view of cleavage in the process, since she hadn't buttoned the cloak all the way up.

Then she carefully pressed the sharp tip of the kunai against the hem of his shirt, and ever so slowly began sliding down from his neck and through the thin material. Her breathing turned shallow, as firm muscles began revealing themselves in ethereal grace. The solidness of his pecs, and then all way down to the rippled muscles at his abdomen. Every single muscle seemed to bulge up against his damp skin.

_Oh god… I'm gonna faint… Dear lord… What did I ever do to deserve this?_

Itachi hid the sly smirk threatening to form on his gracefully shaped lips. She was gawking at him. Her body heating up at the sight in front of her.

She barely had any time at all to react, before Itachi leaned in close to her, grabbed her hand and placed it on top of his bare chest, pressing it against his warm, damp and _naked _skin. His lips graced the tip of her ear, as he spoke in gentle words, though her full attention was on her palm spread out on his chest, practically to some extent rubbing his skin.

"If it was my physique you all along hungered to _gawk_ at, you could just have asked dear Sakura-chan," he whispered huskily, "You females are all the same. Can't stand the distance, when faced with it!"

Sakura, you imbecile jerk! Stop gawking at him and get offended. He just insulted the female-race. 

"Excuse me, you were the one to pull that act before, now don't come here and think just because you have a finely shaped physique, that I am going to melt into a puddle at your feet," Sakura raged and attempted to pull back, but his fingers curled around her chin and held her firmly in place. She could feel his steady heartbeat beneath her palm.

Not rapid at all.

"Oh no, dear kunoichi, you're all wrong. Not a puddle. A blazing fire," Itachi smirked at her. Sakura felt her cheeks heat up, whether from rage, embarrassment or… something else, she couldn't quite figure out, yet this time the rage got the best of her.

"Fix it yourself," Sakura hissed and within a second, she pried his fingers of her chin and wriggled free her hand. She felt like her heart was trying to break through her ribcage and her legs were shaking faintly, as she threw away the kunai.

"At this rate, the deal is very close to collide," she hissed at Itachi and turned around, her hair spiraling in the 180 degree turn, before she walked with heavy steps towards the exit...

…where she bumped into something hard and solid.

"Oh, there little lady, where are _you_ going," the, obviously, male asked and grasped her forearm roughly and by that jerking her back from her hurried escape. Her gaze whipped up instantly and met with the one sight, she had ever cursed to hell…besides Itachi's.

"_Kisame_!", she spat with venom, "What the hell are you doing here?"

The shark arched one eyebrow, and applied pressure to the grip on her arm. She flinched slightly, but kept her face straight and monotone. She could feel Itachi's gaze upon her back, and the sound of sheets rustling to the floor, made her eyes widen. Fortunately, Kisame's voice interrupted her wandering thoughts.

"I could ask you the same," Kisame snorted and held her tighter. Sakura struggled against his grip to no avail. Instead, Inner Sakura found enjoyment in spilling out acid on him…

…Imagination-acid sadly…

"Well, obviously I'm you're fucking hostage, so I assume you know yourself, why I'm here, since you _fucking brought me_," Sakura hissed, and finally managed to move free from his grip, only to stumble back into something warm, damp…. and naked…

A breathless gasp of disapproval escaped her lips, as she quickly disentangled her from the warm body and spun around.

"Just leave me be! I hate you, do you get it? I hate this deal, I hate the god damn seal, I hate this place, I hate everybody in it, hell I even freaking hate myself, because I don't know anymore if it's the seal or my emotions controlling me! So would you just _leave me be, _or I'll separate your head from the rest of your pitiful body."

With those words, she twirled around to go get sleep elsewhere, leaving two dumbstruck shinobis behind.

(-)

The lake glistened beneath the silvery moonlight above, and the twinkling stars spread like dust across the pitch-black sky. In the darkness, two figures kneeled patiently on the ground, hid by thick bushes, while they scanned the area carefully for any signs on threats.

"Our arrival will not be appreciated," a gruff voice mumbled in the darkness.

"There is no time to warn them. It's already passed the limit. We can't wait any longer," a lighter and more feminine voice spoke heatedly, as said female leapt from the ground in a twirl and landed securely on the bare field.

The other heavier and rougher frame, soon left the safety of the bushes too.

"They will have no time to defend themselves at this rate," he protested with slight defiance and annoyance. The female sighed and the desire to smack her companion at the back of his head grew to its highest peak. Instead, she grabbed her kunai and aimed it at the darkness, not really caring where it landed.

The male watched her suspiciously, but shrugged of her odd behavior. By now, he was used to those odd impulsive moves from her side. She was always as unexpected as the weather, though at times, it was some of a quality and at other times, most of the times, it was a high risk.

"Itachi-san is a skilled fighter. He would know if anything were about to happen," she spat irritated and eyed her companion in the dark. He shook his head and lifted his hands in defense.

"Well, I don't doubt that, but I heard he's having a stranger in the headquarters," he said casually. The female stiffened and with one swift motion, her gaze pinned her companion to the spot. He arched his brows at her, and she growled before averting her gaze elsewhere out into the darkness.

Her fingers itched to get in use. It had been such long time, since she last had fought, that it nearly drove her insane. They had traveled far by now, and were almost there, but they still needed to get through a good amount of miles, before they would completely reach their destination.

"Another pet? I swear it kills the thrill of killing, when you constantly tortures people," she hissed to herself, yet her companion caught up on her words.

"No, its not another pet. Besides, he hasn't had one of those in a long time. I think he passed that state a few years ago."

State… As if he was kid…She snarled and crossed her arms.

"Anyway, who _is_ the stranger then?"

Not that she was impatient getting to know, but it just sounded strange that Itachi would've brought a female to the headquarters, if he didn't intend to do with her, what he had done with the former ones… To be honest she somehow had always doubted whether Itachi as a virgin or not. It was true he had, had a few girls. The countless nights where she had laid awaken assured that fact, though Itachi seemed like a proud man.

Proud enough not to let a simple whore get the pleasure of taking his virginity.

It was a stupid thought of course. Surely, Itachi _wasn't_ a virgin, but… still she just had that intuition, that he _was._

"Apparently she's the female from his little brothers team," her companion suddenly voiced as casually as ever. Her head swirled in his direction.

"What does he want her for?" she asked in mock disbelief. He shrugged with amusement twinkling in his eyes. She wasn't at all comfortable with the gleam in his eyes, and for a moment the thought of female-discrimination hit her like a tidal wave.

"…Bait?"

She frowned as disgust rushed through her being. Where there anything more disgusting than _that_?

"His brothers team. Are they searching for her?"

"According to _him_ they are!"

"By _him_ you mean…"

He nodded curtly, and she frowned.

"Summon them. Make them check for any trackers," she then hissed. The male shook his head and quickly grabbed the ancient scroll hid inside his heavy cloak.

A few seconds later, three ravens at the size of a full-grown fox leapt up into the dark night howling loudly into the shadows of the darkness.

(-)

"Why are you drawing it out?" Kisame asked impatiently after having finished his breakfast. Itachi suppressed the growl on his lips. This question was getting annoying. Why couldn't Kisame just get into his thick skull, that Itachi hesitated for a reason?

"There are matters needing to be attended to," Itachi muttered and started once again drawing pattern on the table with the pad of his finger. Long, languid and smooth strokes of his elegant finger. Crumbles of dry and crispy bread on the table stuck to his finger and traveled along those slow strokes across the surface.

Kisame watched him with a frown. He did understand Itachi had just waved him of, by the lack of attention from his side, and he knew Itachi hated it when people questioned his actions, though…

"Itachi-san, keeping on like this is dangerous. They might already be-"

"Itachi-kun?"

The light feminine voice cut the air timidly, and a sudden silence fell over the kitchen. Ever so slowly, Itachi's finger came to a halt on the table, and he looked up at the female in the doorway through his thick and long lashes, tilting his head slightly to the right. Kisame rudely rested his chin in his palm, and watched her with greediness.

"….Kiiran," Itachi spoke politely in a gentle voice. Kisame practically ogled the female. She had folded her hands in front of her, an act that showed she had something important on her mind, which she obviously was about to tell.

Itachi leaned back in his chair, gesturing for her to speak her mind with an arch of his brows. Kiiran lifted her chin and gathered courage from the pit of her stomach.

"I wondered… could you…Check on Sakura-chan?"

Kisame was faster to reply, than the silent Uchiha sitting beside him.

"Why should Itachi-san check on her?"

Kiiran sighed lightly and unfolded her hand. At night Kiiran had heard Sakura stumble out of her room in somewhat panic, and the next thing she knew of, she could hear several kunai whiz through the air. The sound hadn't stopped during the night, and now, when she had just been out to gather some herbs, she had crossed the training grounds, where a heavily panting Sakura had kneeled in the middle, her skin bruised and her clothes clothed with dry mud and dirt, mixed with large cuts where her borrowed cloak had been accidentally torn.

It didn't take much to figure out what had happened. Kiiran wasn't surprised though. At some point, the frustration would take over, and apparently training her body into numbness was Sakura's way of letting go her frustration.

"She's wearing out herself on the training grounds. She hasn't eaten all day, and her body is already lacking enough strength from starvation as it is. If she keeps this up, she can end up damaging the weaker parts of her inner organs," Kiiran reasoned weakly. It was obvious she feared the Uchiha, and for a good reason.

Kisame watched Kiiran and a sudden expression of worry entered his usual stoic face. It was no lie he had grown some tenderness for the kunoichi Haruno Sakura. He looked over at Itachi, who had folded his hands and rested his chin on top of them, his elbows on the table.

"Itachi-san?"

His eyes narrowed, "…The kunoichi can make her own choices!"

Kisame furrowed his brows just the tiniest bit, while Kiiran's eyes widened, and she lost all timidity.

"Itachi-kun please. She's starving and training herself to death and you're the purpose of it-"

"Foolish woman! How dare you offend Itachi-san that way? If the kunoichi wishes not to eat, it is by her own choice and will," Kisame roared and stood up from the chair roughly. Kiiran backed a few steps away, and looked like a frightened deer at Kisame, whose body language showed nothing but violence.

Fortunately, Itachi let out a grunt, and Kisame grudgingly sat down with a harsh pant.

Kiiran hadn't in mind giving up already. She knew it was foolish of her, and that she was now about to disobey a direct order from a much higher ranked member than herself, if she even was what you could call a member, but… Sakura…

Stepping forward, Kiiran locked eyes with Itachi.

"Sakura body doesn't function properly enough, to stand the treatment she gives it, and I believe you are the source of that," she said steadily and with confidence in her normal shaky voice. The silence was overwhelming.

A sudden tension crouched above them, and Kiiran felt her heartbeat speed up, as Itachi let out a sinister chuckle.

Instantly she fell to her knees, realisation hitting her with phenomenal force.

"I apologize for being too rash, but Itachi-kun, Sakura-chan needs to-"

She didn't even gasp, as Itachi suddenly appeared in front of her, his face millimeters from hers, and his knees digging down the dirt in front of her own. Neither did she protest, as he hovered above her and with a rough push shoved her down the ground, his hand tightening around her throat.

"It is not your place to tend to her needs," Itachi said in sinister gentleness, as he moved to straddle her, his knees pressed uncomfortably against her sides. She was incapable of moving, her hair spreading out the ground and framing in the shape of her frightened features.

"I understand," she choked slightly, as the hand really was tighter than needed to prevent her from squirming.

"You care for her don't you?" Itachi threatened softly, "Do you remember what happened the last time, when you interfered? When you told me what to do?"

Kiiran sucked in a large gulp of air, as a raw glimpse of her past flickered through her mind.

"_You released her without my permission!"_

"_She sad she just wanted to-"_

"_She was a spy send from the Sand-country!"_

"…_Itachi-kun, I'm really sorry!"_

"_It is too late to be sorry!"_

Kiiran swirled back from her flashback and sensed her body was forced down the ground much rougher than before.

"I was foolish and young. I took for granted what was right and wrong," she managed to spit out in refusal and avoided his piercing gaze. Itachi watched her through lowered lids, his expression hazy and dazed, yet in the end he was alert as ever, perhaps even more, due to these circumstances.

"You're smart woman Kiiran-chan. And you'll know when to stand by and watch along the sidelines. If you tell her _anything_, if you help her _escape_, make sure to recall…_it_!" Itachi whispered mockingly softly, his fingers tracing her tense jaw. With one swift push of his finger at the nape of her neck, her jaw numbed and fell open.

Breathing raggedly from anger, Itachi leaned down, inches from her face.

"Don't act foolish. In the end… it does nothing but worsening…Return to your chambers!"

He smoothly slid of her, delivering her a harsh push, which sent her forward of the ground. She bit her lip and felt her eyes sting with itching warmth. She bowed her head and folded her hands in front of her as usual. Never turning around, she uttered the words, which would hit the hardest.

"As you wish… Uchiha-sama!"

Itachi flinched ever so slightly, though it was left unnoticed by everyone present… expect her…

(-)

The kunai whipped through thin air with shattering force and pierced right into the rough surface of the tree, while nearby a second kunai swept through the air, and cut of the robe, which loosened the five shuriken that aimed directly towards the target, having loosened them.

Sakura gracefully leapt away from her self-made trap. This was by far the best training she could do on her own. Train her aim in movement. She simply just aimed at a certain spot, while she had to avoid a trap, she herself had set up and set off. Pathetic really, but that was all she could do on her own.

And the fact a layer of sweat plastered to her skin, at least signified she made an effort to train, and not just trained shallowly, as she used to in her younger years, where her mush-brain back then only functioned to think about Sasuke and how to get him to notice her. It was embarrassing thinking about now. How she had acted towards him. Like a lovesick puppy wagging its tail at the mentioning of its master. She _had_ been foolish, yes.

Sakura let out a huff of exhaustion, and forced herself to keep going. She had nothing better to do. To be honest she hadn't trained for this long in a long time now. She had lost count of how many hours, she had done this particular exercise, only having added more targets to dodge, and a distance farther away to aim at.

A sudden sting at the base of her neck made her flinch and she placed a hand on her now aching neck.

"Oh, by the gods. Why _now_," she hissed angrily and had the sudden urge to punch something out of frustration.

"Bend your knees."

Sakura literally jumped of the ground and twirled around with a cloud of dust emanating from beneath her feet.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled outraged and pointed an outstretched finger at Itachi. He merely ignored her, and sat down on a large rock, where the first row of trees of the forest began.

"Bend you knees. It gives better support to your spine, and your spine supports your neck-"

"I know, I'm not a fool," Sakura sneered angrily, as she felt his eyes wandering across her neck and throat. As if her pain was due to an actual wound. She scowled at him and quickly snatched the shuriken tossed at her feet and collected them into her palm.

Her bangs hid her eyes, as she bent her head down to her chest.

"Maybe I'm getting this wrong, but are you trying to _lesson_ me?"

There was a short pause, where the atmosphere enveloping the two of them, heated up a few degrees.

"Bend your knees," Itachi ordered with a husky voice. Sakura bit her lip. This was a fight for dominance, she did _not_ intend to loose. Not this time at least. Glaring at him secretively, her eyes fell onto his shoulder, healthy and flawless as ever.

_Stupid ass… Look at his god damn wound. His fucking skin is as flawless as ever… he was just using me all along. He fucking healed himself, as I left. Now, **who's** the fool?_

"…You know what Itachi…I'm _sick_ of you. I'm _sick_ of that rude act you're always pulling, and unless you want me to damage a hell lot of more than your _shoulder_, then you'd be better of keeping your ass away from me, while I'm training!"

With those words hammering Itachi straight on, Sakura spun around and took a deep breath while moving her tense shoulders to soothe them at bit. Her eyes pierced her next aim, the highest branch of a tree standing a good distance away from her.

She tried several times to gain enough confidence aiming at the tree, but the knowledge Itachi was slung lazily on the stone behind her, made it that bit too difficult to concentrate _and _aim correctly. She could literally feel his eyes burn into her back. _He_ sure didn't lack in the confidence-department.

Nearly throwing a fit, Sakura turned around, to lock eyes with the handsome male regarding her.

"I told you to leave," Sakura hissed in said fit of rage. Itachi's eyes twinkled darkly.

"Such a fierce temper. No wonder you never go out victorious in battle," he said casually, his eyelids dropping to make his appearance even more sensual-

…_**What**? Sensual! What the hell am I thinking!_

_That you future lover is devilishly sexy? _Inner Sakura chided with lovesick eyes.

"What," Sakura snapped, as she ignored her traitorous inner mind. Itachi let out an amused chuckle, and smoothly slid of the stone. Sakura held in her gasp, at the fluidness and flexibility of his body. Her rational mind struggled against her pounding libido, which made her head heavy, her vision blurry and her breathing shallow.

Advancing on her with the grace of a black panther, Itachi lowered his eyes to take in the sight of her muddied clothes. Whether Sakura flushed by her appearance towards him, or by his eyes following every curve of her skinny body – skinny in her opinion – that warmth _still _coated her body.

"Battle is all about keeping focus, which you highly lack of," Itachi murmured, as he kept strolling towards her. What Sakura didn't know, was with every step he took, she stepped backwards too.

"I am not going to let you get on my nerves, Uchiha Itachi! Now, _leave_," Sakura snapped half-heartedly, since her heart was busy fluttering with anticipation too.

The trademark smirk curved upon Itachi's lips, and he shook his head as if scolding her.

"I don't do orders."

"And I don't do jackasses."

Itachi had a hard time masking his amusement. She just refused to admit the power, he had over her body and mind. He was growing on her, yet she stubbornly denied that.

"Now all I asked of you was to bend your knees," Itachi drawled with a smirk.

"Why the hell would you help me with training? You may be able to defeat Kakashi-sensei in battle, but you can never defeat him in tutoring," Sakura hissed, while sweat took her hammering heart, as its cue to start coating her palms. In irritation, she clenched her fists, her fingers sliding against the moistness.

Itachi noticed her faltering calmness.

"Why are you always so stubborn," he asked casually and took a step closer.

"Why must you always be such a-"

Sakura's sentence drowned in her loud gasp, as she collided with a body behind her, and before she had time to struggle against the feeling of fear, two tanned arms encircled her waist and pulled her flush with a definitely male-body.

Panic coursed through her veins, but her body was too late to react upon, due to warm lips hurriedly latched onto her ear. Out of pure instinct, her body melted into the one behind her.

"Never let the enemy behind you… Right Sakura-chan?" Itachi's voice smirked slyly in her ear. Sakura's eyes widened and her whole body went rigid. She stared at Itachi in front of her, and watched him wink coyly at her. The twinkle in his eyes told her everything she needed to hear.

_A-a shadow clone! _

Then, as it had dawned upon her, what was going on, it was too late to start fuming, before Itachi had her front tightly pressed up against the stone, they had formerly walked from. She let out a ragged breath, at the sudden pressure on her chest and the pain of her breasts pressed up against the stone roughly made her whimper in pain.

His hands positioned themselves on each side of her waist, his palms flat against the stone, while his breath caressed her neck.

_His warm hands slid down her sides, to end on her waist, pressing her closer to his damp and muscled body, a husky growl hissing through his gritted teeth. Her eyes closed with a brisk force, and she bit her lip. _

Sakura's attention, averted to the clone, as it lazily walked toward them. She watched in horror, as it leaned up against the stone right beside her and the real Itachi. Sakura was about to snap at Itachi for being so immature, using a clone like audience or whatever, but hot lips suddenly kissing her neck feverishly, killed her words effectively.

_His left hand fondled with her dark hair, and her neck arched in exposal to him, though which he ignored, only to pay attention to her lips. Swollen and bruised with former kisses of passion. _

The clone watched Sakura with passion in his eyes. It chuckled, and too fast for Sakura to prevent, it was suddenly _right _next to her and Itachi. Flicking her a smug smirk, it separated one finger from its others and reached forward.

Sakura jumped in Itachi's grip, as the clone let the pad of its finger, stroke the curve of her breast. Her skin flushed dangerously fast by now, and she could feel Itachi's chuckle on her neck, as he kept latching his lips onto her warm and damp skin.

_Her fingers entangled in his silky night-like tresses, and brought his mouth closer to hers in a frantic plead of attention. He obliged, and deepened his effort, making her thighs flex, and forcing her to break the kiss to practically scream out her bliss in the shape of his name-_

"Feeling a little warm? Your breathing sure is heavy. I wonder due to what?" The clone whispered heatedly, as it kept on caressing her at one of her erogenous zones. The touch grew bolder, adding two fingers and soon three, stroking harder and more insistent.

A shiver ran through her body, and she was unable to move her gaze away from the clone, as it boldly added his whole hand, cupping the side of her breast.

Then, as sudden as a kunai would aim, Itachi pulled her away from the stone. She drew in a sharp breath and was about to sigh in relief.

Well, that was before a way too similar Itachi appeared in front of her.

"Getting comfy?" The clone smirked, but waited for no coherent answer, as it tilted up her head with its fingers and started nibbling her jaw sinfully. This time, a moan _did_ slip pass her lips. It was just too much. Two warm bodies enveloping her, and two pair of lips and two sets of hands caressing her body into oblivion.

Slowly - her body wavering into the ancient and primal act of lust – she started grinding slowly against the warmth in front of her, also grinding against the warmth behind her. Her hands rose themselves to slide up the clone's chest.

Then she was suddenly propelled around, facing the real Itachi, before it all started again. The only difference being the positions of the two set of Itachi.

Scorching hot lips bit her shoulder, as hands unbuttoned the cloak covering her quivering form. She shuddered and latched onto Itachi, as his clone tentatively began stroking her spine up and down with the pad of one finger.

Then it happened.

"Itachi-kun…."

…

The suffix had slipped of her tongue really. It had just occurred in her brain, and due to his presence making her brain into mush, and the clone molding her flesh behind her, had made random words blab out of her.

Nevertheless, although her voice had been shaky and slightly frightened, she felt the sudden tension in Itachi's body. Then the hand on her waist went sinfully down to her thigh, and in one smooth motion, her thigh was placed on his hip, and his hand supported her neck, while pressing her against him. She gained support and balance from the clone behind her, which once again started its assault on the back of her body.

Itachi watched her flushed face with a frown.

Perhaps it _was_ time to test the seal. If what stood in the scrolls was for real, they would now have a telepathic bond, that only he would be able to use, meaning he could read her mind, and if he allowed, she could read his too.

In the end, he had to test the seal, if he ever wanted this deal to lead anywhere. He still had to get the information from Sakura.

Sakura felt the clone behind her shift slightly, before she felt a warm breath on her ear.

"Say that again," it whispered gently, tracing her side with its hand and pushed the cloak further of her. Sakura shuddered at the huskiness of his voice, well the clone's voice. It was strange how she was affected so passionately by just the clone… and the real one and a fake mixed…

Making her voice low and sensual, she slid her hands up the real Itachi's shoulders, only to entangle her trembling fingers with his silky hair. Tendrils of silk ran smoothly through her fingers, as she began waving her hands through his hair, and pulled his torso closer. Her heart hammered violently in her chest and her pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out every other sound than his deep and the husky breathing falling on her neck like a ghostly caress.

Her lips rested beside his ear, as she finally stopped pulling him closer. Taking a soft breath, she inched closer to his ear, her leg riding high on his hip.

"Itachi-kun…"

Finally…He snapped. She felt his body stiffen, as was it frozen, then the rush of heat thrilled through him. Sakura let out a surprised gasp, as his hand was suddenly on her shoulder, pinning her back into his clone and letting himself hover above her with that glowing supremacy of his.

Not waiting for her approval, he slid in to capture her earlobe with his teeth. The soft nib caused Sakura to arch her back involuntarily, making her head fall onto the clone's shoulder, and exposing her throat to it. An offer he didn't waste, as butterfly kisses planted themselves intoxicatingly slowly onto her arched neck.

She felt the cloak slide of her shoulders, as the clones hands rested on her bare arms, stroking them as if trying to create even more friction than already.

Itachi stared at her silky smooth skin covered by the fishnet t-shirt, she had borrowed from Akatsuki, and his eyes darkened upon seeing her chest heaving and falling in sync with her heavy pants.

Then the words came…

"Was I in it?"

Those slurred and husky words.

"In _what_?"

Her shaky and uncontrolled words.

"…Your dream."

**

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A/N: ………………… HOLY FUCKING SHIT –Being bombarded with reviews- THANK YOUUUUUUU!**

AH, AND A CLONE! WHAT THE HELL POSESSED ME?

–runs away embarrassed- -comes back with plastic bag over head-

If you guys think the plot is going too slow, then please tell me so. I realize the fluff and romance may make up for the lack of plot right now, but… Please tell me whether I'm going too slow or not!….. Though it's really not going to help, because in about two chapters it goes fast… but, I would still like to know it either way!

**Oh, and by the way, this chapter starts at evening/night and in the middle there's a small time-elapse, where the scene shifts from the two unknown persons in the night and to Itachi and Kisame having breakfast the next day…

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**

**Preview of Chapter 8**:

"…. If you _were_, it wouldn't have been a dream. It would've been a nightmare!"

"I find it hard to believe you moaning my name in ecstasy could happen in a nightmare!"

"W-what!"

"Oh yes. You did indeed voice your pleasure. Tell me, did I touch you anywhere… indecent?"

"You're twisted Itachi!"

"As long as that applies in bed too, I really couldn't care less! Now tell me, why do I owe the pleasure of giving you such attention in your dreams?"

"I did not dream of you!"

"You're blushing!"

"I'm _not_, and excuse me, I'm going to find Kiiran-chan!"

"Running away from unknown territory as always!"

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**Review responses:**

**Rising Pheonix** Predator and prey? Heh… You don't wanna know my friend! You just don't wanna know!

**Jayde-Green07** A virgin…?

"Proud enough not to let a simple whore get the pleasure of taking his virginity" 

That line in the story… Due only to you!

**Firefox:** -hands over sugarcookie- Here you go! Oh and steamy? –winks- Be aware my friend… be VERY aware…

**The Crimson Chronic** Me? That good? 0.o.

**Darw-Angel** YAY, alert list!

**blackXheart** Just them! It's kinda like a side-effect of it. Of course it reacts to Itachi because it was made to do so, but no matter what, it will affect ONE person beside the maker. In most cases that ONE exception is most likely never found, but in this case it just happened to be Kakashi… Why? Because I said so! Anyway, because the seal needs that other person, is because in every relationship, there'll always be the chance of sorrow and hurt. The chance of loosing trust, of being denied, and then the seal needs to confirm its own safety for survival, by taking ANOTHER being too! And why is that? Because if the seal is not… -cough- attended to by the maker, then there will always be the other one to attend to it…

….. Hi by the way!

**brasskix$$** How I survived… It wasn't easy I tell you.. –grabs spray- YAY anti-boredom/writers block spray!

**lilyandpebbleshuman**-looks down at fingers and smiles- They're healed!

**Pretear Fan** Challenge? –looks interested- Huh? A challenge?

Tell me, did this chapter top the last one, having TWO Itachis? YAY, go you! You get TWO cookies for longest review!

YEAH, FAV STORIES AND AUTHORS LIST AND STORY ALERT! LURVE YOU!

**SatuAka** How I came up with it… Well actually, I just came to think of an ItaSaku fic, since I had read most of the goods ones out there, and had to get out some of my obsession with them. I simply wanted the fic to store a lot of… physical act, and then I had to figure out a way for Itachi to need Sakura… and then I thought: "Hey, to get Kyuubi!" And then he should find a way to get the information from her. Violence is just not his thing, well perhaps it is but still, so I thought "Well I wanted some physical acts" sooo… Physical acts to get information by mind reading… and how to mind read? Through a seal like Sasukes!

It really did just come to me while I was preparing to go to sleep…

You almost died reading last chapter?

-fetches respirator and plugs in SatuAka-

**Miakoda13**: 0.o Long review…. YAY!

And now you're probably upset, because I just made Kiiran and Itachi even closer than before, but what can I say? It adds to the plot, and besides Sakura could use some competition. Not that Itachi has an eye for Kiiran, but I could say she has a tiny bit of an eye for him. Lovers? –grins smugly-

And to your teeny tiny question… At this rate she is merely bait, AT THIS RATE? And AT THIS RATE Kiiran may mean some more important to Itachi, due to her and Itachi's past, AT THIS RATE?

…AT.THIS.RATE…

**Anonymous:** YAY, thanks to you and your help –blushes from embarrassment- I just HATE mistakes like that… you get EXTRA cookies!

**EnV** Trust me, deep inside Sakura is jealous… She's just hiding it… Damn pride and everything that follows. Flesh to gawk at? I used that little line too in this chapter, just with reversed roles! Heh…

**wynter89:** YAY, a cookie with milk! Yeah well, I can only say that because Kakashi didn't act is because something is holding him back… Now all you have to do is figure that out! And about Itachi knowing Sakura's split personality… Only adds more fun to it all!

**miaka54321** Yeah well, cat and dog predator and prey! –hugs Miaka- YAY, you saw my dedication at the top?

**kaitou angel** You really think, I would reveal his feelings for her? –winks- Oh well, sorry to say I'm not., though I can degrade myself to say some development is going to happen soon, but then Ill leave it to you to guess what kind of development? What he's gonna do to her? Well, think about the seal, and then that's all I'll say. Naruto and the others? Well, they're on their way, trying to save her… but who said that would be easy huh?

To many questions?……Yep! –winks-

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Of course ALSO including: **KagomeAngel91,****animemistress419,****Itaka****, sillymail, mika, elisa, ****selandora,****XUchihaSerenaX****, Eliza, ****sasukegrl,****Redwillow123, ****A.B34UT1FUL-Lie****, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, blahgirl, ****sessygirl66, ****kAze-RyU****Black, AngelBlood****, TaintedFlowerPetals, ****AnimeGirl2006, ****Kirdari, ****Truth or Desire, ****Lady-Azura**)

**-Frozzy**


	8. The 7 Deadly Sins: Wrath

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura 

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy)  
**Category:** Action/Romance Rated: T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note:** If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary:** Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just one male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

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**Very Important Note:**

Sorry for the late update folks, but school had been pestering me, which then leads me to the reason of this important note. Besides the three essays, the math and the weeklong project I've had to endure through this last month, there is even more to come. Here in Denmark we don't have exams every term. We get pre-exams in the 8th grade that counts for shit, and then we get the final exams in the 9th grade, which are the ones who count.

And I'm in the 9th grade, so I suppose you get where this is leading?

The days are getting hard. I gotta concentrate on my grades for now, after all they will get me into the next step of ending school forever, but if you want me to try keep these updates up every second week or so, then give me some motivation please?

….Not that you don't do already!

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**Fragility Of The Sakura**  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Eight: The 7 Deadly Sins: Wrath**

_"Was I in it?"_

_Those slurred and husky words._

_"In what?"_

_Her shaky and uncontrolled words._

_"…Your dream."_

…She stopped breathing. She literally stopped breathing, the only sound emanating from the three being the barely audible breathing from an amused Itachi. Her jade eyes had been glazed over, but were now wide open and shocked deep within the pupils. She could feel tendrils of her hair tickling her neck, as Itachi started undoing her hair from her braid, which pushed her over the edge of shock and into confusion.

Itachi smirked. Now it was time to test it.

"Tell me kunoichi, was I in that pleasurable dream of yours?" he asked with mock gentleness, and waved his hands through her hair. He watched her eyes blaze with rage, as she pressed her swollen lips tightly together. A shudder ran through him. A kiss was the most intimate two people could share… he missed that intimacy right now…

Sakura tried desperately to ignore the fake Itachi, which was still nibbling her throat with nothing in mind but intensifying the caress. How did he know about that dream? Of course, he had been sitting in the room, but just… how? Had he perhaps used his sharingan?

Sakura's eyes widened at that disturbing thought. A thought she just couldn't deal with in this position, so she determinedly pushed it aside into the darkest corner of her mind, where she usually never entered without a really good reason.

She flushed. To be honest, she couldn't quite deny the thrill of lust running through her even now. The thought that he may knew… Sakura shook her head, and a frown found its way to her forehead.

A particular hard bite on her neck, made Sakura reach up a hand to clutch at Itachi's front. He watched her take in a heavy breath and watched her squirm in arousal, as his clone expertly intensified the caress gradually, never faltering in its task, which was to distract Sakura.

In that way –with the clone- he could gather the needed information, without getting too caught up in it all himself. Pure business. Nothing more.

Itachi smirked slyly and grabbed her thigh firmer, pressing her harder into him. She let out a gasp, as the clone followed the movement skillfully from behind her, and she was then flush with two Itachi's on each side of her. Somehow, she felt a bit like a sandwich, but that thought soon vanished, as lips latched onto her shoulder and tugged at the hem of her fishnet t-shirt.

An amused chuckle left Itachi's lips at her vulnerability.

"Kunoichi, do you intend to answer me anytime soon," he asked patiently. Sakura growled at him and tried to avoid the lips of the clone, but he was persistent on enjoying his little game and only pressed her tighter into the real Itachi.

"…. If you were, it wouldn't have been a dream. It would've been a nightmare," Sakura hissed.

Itachi grinned smugly. Time to test the seal. Moving his hand down her thigh, which rested on his hip, he started drawing circles at the most heated spot on her body. The seal.

Almost instantly, he felt the seal reach out and cling to him. Much more faster than he had expected and much more easier. Sakura was biting her swollen lip in a futile attempt to hold in her innocent moans and gasps. Itachi gave her no mercy, as he inched forward to her ear.

"I find it hard to believe you moaning my name in ecstasy could happen in a nightmare," he purred darkly. Her thoughts practically scared the shit of out him, as it hit him with a force, he never would've believed she had in her.

_Shit Sakura! You actually yelled his fucking name while he shagging you senseless? God, you're such a whore! What the fuck is wrong with you, just push.him.away!_

_Hey you shut up! You're me too, you can't blame me for enjoying this, while you are a part of me!_

_…Haruno Sakura, you push that guy away before you're jump him okay?_

Itachi's eyes gleamed with amusement, as Sakura weakly tried to pry him of her, only listening half-heartedly to her thoughts, as those small hands kept pushing at his chest. It was distracting him very much from the task at hand.

"W-what!" Sakura stuttered embarrassed and tried to get a hold on her crazy thoughts.

"Oh yes. You did indeed voice your pleasure. Tell me, did I touch you anywhere… indecent?"

Knowing Sakura and her sweet innocence, it would just be a too sharp attack to tell it in the words he used.

Part of the reason he enjoyed her more than any of the others, was due to said innocence. No matter how decently he spoke of the term "having sex", she blushed. Even if he just said "share a bed", she blushed. None of the others had ever blushed by that. They usually never blushed, being confident, and non-virgins that is.

Sakura shook with embarrassment.

_Indecent? Yeah well, since you practically touched me everywhere, then where the fuck is decent and indecent now?_

_God, why cant he just be hideous and… and…_

_Oh, get a **grip** on yourself Sakura! You're embarrassing both of us. Stop being so damn vulnerable to him. Just smack him straight across his fucking face, and lets see who then has the upper hand._

Her vulgar language astonished Itachi, but then he seemed to remember what happened at the time the seal was activated. Two minds. She had two minds. The one voicing her desires and the one voicing her rationality.

…He preferred the one voicing her desires.

With a wriggle, Sakura managed to pull down her thigh, and breaking the link between their minds, as Itachi's fingers slid away from the seal. She tried to back away from him, but only resulting in pressing against the clone. So much for an escape.

With a sigh, Sakura turned her eyes downwards. She barely winced, as the faint poof of the clone vanishing erupted behind her and cool air once again swept over her back.

"You're twisted Itachi," she hissed and moved away to lean against the stone, as she panted for air. Itachi sent her a loop-sided smirk and shrugged casually at her.

"As long as that applies in bed too, I really couldn't care less! Now tell me, why do I owe the pleasure of giving you such attention in your dreams?"

_Said the spider to the fly_, Inner Sakura shrieked shrilly.

Sakura closed her eyes, and fought down her embarrassment. If she blushed now, she was dead meat.

"I did _not _dream of you," she reasoned steadily, and fought to urge to cheer at herself for actually sounding somewhere close to confident. She bent down to grab her cloak, but a large hand was faster. Faster to grab her chin and force up her head that is.

"You're blushing," Itachi mumbled, as his eyes roamed her face. First her forehead, then her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her jaw and at last her parted lips, which were drawing in hectic breaths. She closed her lips at that point and moved her head away. This time she managed to get down and get a hold of her cloak.

Itachi watched her intensely all the time.

"I am not, and excuse me, I'm going to find Kiiran-chan," Sakura said stiffly and turned to walk, but the words leaving his mouth, made her freeze to the spot. Or so, she was sure, she did, judging by the coldness entering her body.

"Running away from unknown territory as always!"

The words echoed in her mind, and without knowing, her eyes narrowed in… sadness?

"…What would you know of that? You're not the one around here suffering from changes," she muttered softly, her eyes glaring at the ground beneath her. If she had faced Itachi, she would've seen the flicker of surprise running hastily across his eyes.

Instead… she only got to hear the gentle sound of his feet shuffling through the grass to stand behind her. She expected him to touch her. To do anything. Yet, he merely stayed put, his breath on her neck, and at the same time completely separated from her by any means.

"Kunoichi. If you are… displeased with something or find something lacking… there is and always were the opportunity, you could tell me."

The image of her younger self, standing on the bridge leading away from Konoha with Sasuke standing behind her, fluttered through her mind.

_They're so similar to each other when it comes to feelings … yet they just don't realize just how similar they are…_

"I know the consequences of trusting an Uchiha. I did enough in trusting your brother on that part… I don't need to repeat that mistake once again," Sakura whispered softly, feeling shudders running through her body. At this rate, she surely expected him to reach forward and caress her in some way, but yet again, he surprised her, by not moving at all. Only breathing calmly against her neck.

The atmosphere had turned tense, some kind of contentment swirling around the two of them, as they stood there. Silent and listening to each other's intakes of air.

"My brother was a fool," Itachi then murmured, his voice distant and his eyes cast in shadows of the past. Sakura felt the tension entering his body, and she bit her lip, sensing a foreign emotion blissfully spreading through Itachi.

She kept silent.

"He has never been good at worshipping the act of affection," Itachi muttered plainly. Sakura felt the need to snort and break this moment of bliss was becoming just too tempting. As if he worshipped the act of affection himself. It was more like the act of lust, that drove him through life.

Sakura's thoughts broke apart, as she suddenly felt a pressure at the back of her head.

_Itachi… is he…_

His forehead pressed softly against the back of her head, his gentle breathing tickling her neck, which was covered by her hair. The next words came too softly, that Sakura for a quick moment, thought the person behind her was a lovesick Naruto having transformed into Itachi.

"A habit he unfortunately has taken from his brother."

…What an idiotic thought that was.

His words were so soft and gentle. Not the slurred and husky voice he usually used to seduce her with… No… This was a soft, gentle and… hopeful voice. Hopeful and sad.

"Trust isn't easily gained," Sakura whispered, with her sudden shaky voice. Itachi took a deep intake of air and let it blow across her neck, as he exhaled.

"Trust isn't what I'm asking for," he whispered back. Sakura closed her eyes, suddenly feeling somehow too intimate. This wasn't what it used to be. It was more like… It was too deep. Too dangerous. Sakura's eyes widened, as those words rang through her head.

_Too deep… Too dangerous… Too **emotional**…_

Sakura let out a strangled gasp and rushed forward. She more felt than heard the soft sigh from Itachi. She didn't turn around. She let her back face him.

Nevertheless…my trust wouldn't be worth anything after all

_**…Not all Uchihas are the same… He must've caused you so much pain…**_

Sakura's eyes shot open, and as if she had been drugged, she spun around to face Itachi. His eyes were once again cold and distant, and turned away from her, looking slightly hazed, as if he were thinking.

_What the hell was that?_ Inner Sakura chirped shocked, and glared around as if finding an intruder in her personal area, Sakura's mind.

"…Go take a bath. You smell," Itachi then stated, his eyes fixed on her again. Sakura stared at him in shock, but couldn't retort to his offending words, as he with a whiz disappeared, leaving behind a swirl of dust on the ground, where he had taken of.

_…The nerve of that guy..._

(-)

Sakura wriggled her toes above the water, and ducked further down, until the warm water covered her chin and beneath. The water was the comfort she hungered for, as it curled its warmth around her in a soothing manner. Her body was exhausted after the hard training, she had put it through and her stomach was protesting. After she had bathed, she would have to go to the kitchen. She starved.

A soft knock on the door brought Sakura out of her world of comfort. She unknowingly pressed her thighs together, being the feminine reflex of surprise.

"Sakura-chan? May I come in and place the towels?"

Sakura drew in a relieved breath, as she recognized Kiiran's gentle, feminine voice through the door. Living in a huge house with two men could easily make you paranoid. Sakura quickly eyed the bathroom, and grabbed the necessary supplies for her hair, staying in her position in the tub.

"Uhm, sure," she yelled out and waited for Kiiran to enter the now steamy bathroom. Kiiran entered with hesitant steps and looked timidly at Sakura. Sakura wasn't all that comfortable. The only one ever having been in the same room meanwhile her bathing, was Ino and Hinata, and they had been her friends for a long time. She had barely come to know Kiiran, but still she felt, like she could trust her. Moreover, Kiiran was in desperate need for female-company too.

Kiiran tiptoed to the end of the tub and placed the fluffy, black towel on the end of the marble-surface. She smiled at Sakura and arched her brows eagerly.

"Is the bath enjoyable enough? I can always change the water, if its not as hot as you-"

"Its okay Kiiran-chan!"

Sakura felt the need to assure the female beside her, before she would get a mental breakdown from caring too much about others well being. She just cared too much for others, that she occasionally neglected herself.

Kiiran fidgeted a bit with the door handle, before she eventually turned around to look at Sakura.

"May I… not to intrude or anything, but… Can I ask you a question?" she asked shyly. Sakura rose a bit further up the bath, so her shoulders escaped from the water-prison they had been set in.

"Here?"

"If its not too much trouble."

Kiiran looked nervous, but also slightly afraid for some reason. Sakura doubted she feared for her to hit her or anything, but it really did seem like she expected physical pain coming from this. Sakura rested her vivid jade eyes on the water in front of her.

"Sure it isn't Kiiran-chan, we're friends now," she mumbled with a frown. Kiiran bit her lip.

"Yes… Friends… "

_God Sakura, say something? This is getting odd!_

Sakura opened her mouth, but Kiiran was faster to speak.

"Sakura-chan, he doesn't… force you into anything does he?"

Sakura's eyes shot open, and her body went numb in the water. Could it bee Kiiran knew? Or did she just assume? She had told countless times, what Itachi had done to her so… Perhaps she thought…

Sakura's features had to have turned negative, since Kiiran was slowly backing towards the door, with her eyes on the floor, her curls hiding her beautiful face and eyes.

"I'm terribly sorry. It wasn't my place to-"

"He doesn't Kiiran," Sakura quickly blurted out. Maybe a bit too fast to sound believable. Well, he didn't hurt her. Not physically. However, he sure as hell did mentally. Especially due to that stupid mind seal. It was so damn confusing. She still had to confront him with the true act of this seal. She had no clue, why he had placed it upon her, or how he wished to use it…

Though she still had the vague feeling, it was something concerning a certain ninja and a certain fox.  
"He treats you well?" Kiiran exclaimed in something like relief and happiness. Sakura flashed her a bright smile. Bright on the outside nevertheless.

"That depends on what well is. He gives me the basic needs like food sleep and hygiene. Though at times I miss socializing, as well as security and… and enjoyment. This place doesn't quite suit my term of enjoyment," Sakura joked, although her words being serious.

She was bored here. When Itachi didn't… amuse her, she had nothing to do but train, and only Naruto trained the whole freaking day, and wouldn't loose any stamina due to the wonder of ramen, which he ate literally ten times a day. Sakura swore, she had never seen that boy eat anything but ramen. It was bound to at least make him some difficulties later on.

Besides, she didn't wish Itachi to amuse her even more, due to her lack of joy here. And at any rate, it couldn't be joyful to be captured and being the purpose of a bet either.

As if you don't want him to! You're just afraid you'll enjoy it silly girl, inner Sakura chided gleefully. Sakura shook her head to get lost of her libido… or rather her traitorous inner mind.

"I'm sorry for that. If you would like, I could talk to him-"

"I don't want to cause you trouble-…" besides he just told me the exact same thing today…

Kiiran looked at Sakura accusingly, and somehow Sakura was sure, Kiiran would've gladly set her life on the line, getting to know the ending of that sentence, although… she let it pass, as if sensing the apprehensively hesitation wrapping around those words like velvet fire.

"Sakura… I don't want you to be here."

Sakura had been watching the water curling around her body like a kitten pleading for attention. Now she stared with her mouth agape at the woman standing only a few feet away from her.

"Excuse me?"

Kiiran quickly shook her head and held up her hands in front of her chest defensively. Sakura couldn't deny, she had felt threatened by that statement, so it was no wonder, if it had been visible in her features. Because of that she didn't judge Kiiran for taking that defensive stance.

"It's not, that I don't like you. I find my stay much more pleasurable with you, but… things happen here, that you for all costs shouldn't get caught in," Kiiran explained softer, and Sakura felt realization dawn on her. She wet her lips and watched Kiiran intensely.

"Kiiran what exactly are you saying?" Sakura mumbled rather confused. Kiiran watched her and sighed.

She sat down the floor and folded her hands neatly in her lap, as she sat cross-legged. She closed her eyes.

"When you're first tangled in it, you can't untangle yourself quite as easily again."

Sakura stared at Kiiran, with no need to question what she meant, since sadness lingered to those words. Sakura stared at her hand, as the water slid of it, leaving it warm and damp. She started running the pad of her finger down her palm and down to her wrist. The white and rough scars lay there, reminding her of her low self-esteem. She had been busy lately. Hadn't had the time to… think about those scars. About that pain, which helped her, regain her the connection to the real world.

Was she finally done? Was this just the beginning for new scars to continue? A frown dug into her forehead, as she clenched her hand and let it fall beneath the water again.

"I know of pain. There's no need to protect me against it. I've always been carrying it on my shoulders… and I always will," she murmured softly, never taking her eyes of the surface of the water.

Kiiran's eyes opened in slow motion, and their eyes met, throwing a long lost link, just when the door slammed open. Sakura shrieked and practically was about to jolt out of the tub, but fortunately remembered her condition and instead slid deeper down in it.

Kiiran stumbled up from her position on the floor and instinctively she slid over to block the view of Sakura.

In the doorway a grumpy Kisame stood, with a dark look in his eyes.

"Kiiran, Itachi-san wants to see you," he practically yawned and stared at Kiiran, who bewildered tried to keep blocking the now panicking Sakura. Kisame paid no attention to the female in the tub though.

_Probably because the ass to Itachi practically has claimed me…Not that I want Kisame… **ew**…Just the thought…** gross**!_

Feeling her frustration mixed with her panic, Sakura gathered all her breath in her lungs.

"…._Get out_ you freaking pervert!"

Kisame was startled for a moment, but then he regained his composure and fixed his gaze on Kiiran, who was hesitant to move and walk with him to Itachi, since she then would leave Sakura vulnerable, and after what they had just shared, she didn't want to break that fragile bond of trust having been created between them just now.

Sakura was far too embarrassed to even think such deep thoughts. She was only grateful Kiiran didn't move.

"Kisame-san, I don't think Sakura likes you intruding upon her privacy!"

"Itachi-san sent for you!"

"I know!"

"You're late!

"…I know… I just wanted to talk with Sakura-chan!"

Sakura then shoved Kiiran aside, only her head above the water, her eyes locked with Kisame's.

"Get out or I'll make you into fucking _sushi_! (1)"

(-)

"Naruto, just settle down. It's nightfall, we can't travel any further," Kakashi reasoned, as he grabbed Naruto's shirt at his neck and pulled him down the ground. He crossed his arms and pouted. Kakashi sighed. His team had been awfully immature without Sakura, and they just seemed to grow apart. Like she was the link holding all of them together. Without her, there truly was no team 7. She always got the boys to relax and even Sasuke to smile on occasion with her adoring stupidity at times.

Kakashi had decided to tell the boys about this tonight. He had just recently figured it out, and since this had become an official mission, they ought to know every single bit of information. No matter how reluctant he was giving it to them. They would freak out. Not just on Itachi, but probably on him too, since he had a rather big part in this.

The part that had made him realize what this was all about.

"What about Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined and moved closer to Kakashi, who sat down against a tree and read his beloved book. Sasuke was wandering around gathering sticks for the fire.

Kakashi was mildly surprised, Naruto hadn't bothered him about him starving yet, but he guessed when it came to his friends even ramen took the second place of priority. Naruto was one of the most loyal shinobis in Konoha after all.

"Sakura isn't a fool Naruto. She can handle situations like this," Kakashi reasoned his former student and sent him a glare.

"But Kaka-sensei, you saw her last time when he…"

"_Groped_ her?" Sasuke hissed in a gravelly voice, as he lit the fire. Soon the flames licked up against the dry wood and crackled peacefully. Naruto sent Sasuke a glare and inched forward.

"Don't use Sakura with that word. Molested would be a better word!"

Kakashi let out a sigh, and flipped a page in his book.

"Now both of you listen. I should've told you sooner, but what you saw wasn't Sakura."

Kakashi only earned sarcastic snorts for that one. He smiled lightly. Perhaps he could have said it differently.

"What I mean is, it was her physically, but her mind has been… inflicted with a seal!"

There. He had said it. They knew. And as he had expected, Naruto was frowning in confusion, and Sasuke was simply looking at him with a stoned face. Kakashi had expected him to understand it the fastest, and by the looks of it, he had judged right. Well, since Sasuke knew the effects of a seal, he could probably understand the way Sakura acted and why.

"…A _seal_?" Sasuke asked thoughtfully and turned his face to the left. Kakashi caught the glimpse of anger crossing his face. Anger he apparently didn't wish for Kakashi to see.

"Yes Sasuke, something like yours, though hers has a more… primal way of functioning," he hesitated. This was the harsh part. To explain it. He doubted they would understand it, but then he had on occasions before doubted his team's capabilities on this kind of stuff and had gotten a few nasty reminders of it.

But still, Naruto would be the slowest to catch up. Usually Sakura only understood Kakashi, and then she would have to word it differently so her other teammates could understand it. Kakashi found that quite humorous to be honest.

"It's used to gather information. ANBU uses it as the strongest assassin-weapon for both genders, though only few are able to make it. It comes with the supremacy of the blood-line and considering the strength of Itachi, being an Uchiha, he is very capable of using it, although I never would've thought of it before now!"

"What does it do?" Naruto asked with a serious expression. In that moment, Kakashi admired his former students. It hit him how much they had grown. Naruto had actually matured enough to take this seriously, and for once Sasuke wasn't being cold and non-caring. In fact, he had moved closer to both Kakashi and Naruto, to catch up every detail Kakashi would say. "And how did you notice?" Sasuke quickly added. Kakashi let out a slight sigh, knowing this was the part, where they would freak out on him.

"The seal is placed somewhere on the body, on the naked body. The maker of it will have to find the seal by searching, since its invisible, as it's a mind seal. Though still a seal has to be connected with the physical body, so a certain and random place of the victims body, will activate the seal. The place is never the same. It changes from each body, since every body has its weakest point. The weakest point is where chakra doesn't quite protect as well against intruders as other places on the body. What the seal does is creating a mental bond allowing the creator to read the victims mind and on occasion allow the victim to read the creators. So basically the creator is in control of two minds and can draw a bond between them."

Naruto and Sasuke listened in awe, with their foreheads frowning and their lips pressed tightly together, as they memorized all the facts into their mind.

"How did you notice that sensei?

"It seems complicated to notice," Sasuke murmured in thoughts, though Kakashi took up his comment.

"It is Sasuke. When we encountered Itachi, Kisame and her the last time, a thing happened that made me realize. It goes like this. The seal -of course- reacts to the creator since, that's its main purpose in existing. However, no matter what, it will always affect one person beside the maker. In most cases, that one exception is most likely never found, since it can be spread all over the world, but in this case it just happened to be…Well, me… Anyway, because the seal needs that other person, is because in every ´relationship´, there'll always be the chance of being denied. The seal needs to confirm its own safety for survival, by taking another being too, because if the seal is not attended to by the maker, then there will always be the other one to attend to it…"

Kakashi watched them gape at him. He had awaited them to start yelling at him being a pervert, and then he would have to save his honour by saying it wasn't his choice, but oddly enough Naruto simply scratched his head and narrowed his eyes with mature thoughtfulness.

"So you're saying it's a seal that has to be physically touched and then you can pull out information from the other's mind…But why you?" Naruto quickly caught up.

"We were there too," Sasuke added with a nod.

Kakashi was sure _he_ was the one gaping now. He quickly covered it with a cough though.

"I suppose why it chose me, was because at the time we encountered, it obviously decided to unfold itself to find the substitute, probably because of the overload of emotions rushing through Sakura at the time and squeezing or forcing the seal into action. In the past, I've been banned with that seal myself, and considering me being near and the seal striving for survival, it probably choose me due to experience. It was in the hope, I would take best care of it," he explained hurriedly, skipping over the part concerning his past in a hurry, but of course they would catch it. Naruto was the first to question it. "You've had that seal?"

"In my youth," he quickly dismissed, not wanting to remember that particular time of his life, "Basically the seal only wish for survival!"

"But you said you realized it? How?" Sasuke asked, as he sensed his sensei's avoidance of the subject, they were crossing right now.

"When I touched Sakura… I felt our minds clash. Apparently, our minds have an easy way of connecting since mine used to have that connection before, and hunger for it again, because it gives the mind a kind of comfort and safety. The mind is usual independent and has to carry a lot of stress, so having another piece to help… It's alluring. Think of it as friendship. With nobody to talk to, you have to carry it all yourself!"

A tensed silence overwhelmed the three frames by then, and Kakashi quickly explained further.

"And when I felt that clash… I realized what was going on."

Naruto suddenly grimaced and put a hand behind his head.

"So…. You're the substitute for Itachi?"

"Yes."

"…_Pervert_!"

…  
"Moron."

"Hey! You're one to talk!"

"Oh am I? At least I'm not fat!"

"I told you, I'm not fat!"

"No, you just have big bones!"

"I don't have big bones either!"

"Well, then you are fat!"

"I am not fat!"

"Well, you have to be fat or having big bones!"

"And why the hell is that?"

"The analysis says that!"

"What analysis?"

"The ones in the magazines!"

"…You read magazines?"

"…. Shut up Naruto"

(-)

Itachi watched as Sakura proudly entered the door leading to his private quarters, where he sat on the bed, cleaning weapons, the heavy cloak disregarded neatly onto the bed beside him. A vivid image of Kakashi reached Sakura's mind. He had the same habit of folding his clothes just as neatly as Itachi did with his cloak.

As he watched her form stride confidently across the room, he wondered where that arrogance clearly emanating from her, had come alive from? She was getting awfully arrogant lately. Even arrogant to the point, where it actually managed to annoy Itachi to no end. The way she thought, she could just avoid touching him, when she knew god damn well, the deal included very intimate touching.

If she wanted to end this deal anytime soon, she would have to realize that involved intimate caresses from him on her naked skin. She just refused to let him, and a some point he, knew he would have to confront her with that, before team 7 would locate them, and the chance to get Kyuubi would be wasted, since Itachi would have no idea how to take it, if he hadn't gotten the information yet.

…Which he wouldn't get if Sakura kept being that modest with him. But then, why shouldn't she be? His reputation wasn't anything nice, although he wouldn't want it to be either. That exact reputation had helped him out from various burdens and such in the past, so he had learned to be grateful for it.

Still, Sakura also seemed burdened lately. Something was definitely bothering her, and unfortunately Itachi just couldn't figure out and he hadn't in mind asking her at all.

He didn't care either way, and wouldn't ever let her believe that. She was just a piece of a deal in the end. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sakura reached Itachi with steady steps and a straight spine. She forced her eyes not to wander down his torso, covered in only that thin fishnet t-shirt of his. She was furious at him, and she knew, he could sense it. She had been for a long time. The way he treated her. She was worth more, than how he treated her, and the last straw had been burned to ashes, when Kisame entered the bathroom, like had she no privacy.

This time… She would tell Itachi what exactly was on her mind! Being it destroying herself in the process, then that necessary to do to make him understand. She felt like a damn pet, and not partner in this deal.

Itachi looked at her with his intense crimson irises, and ran a thumb down the sharp end of his kunai that he had just finished cleaning, since it had been clothed in blood.

"I never realized my dear kunoichi had a sense of humor," he stated. In any other persons mouth those words would've symbolized a joke, though in Uchiha Itachi's mouth, they symbolized everything but that.

"…Aren't you going to scold me for yelling at him without your approval?" Sakura said casually with the hint of heavy sarcasm lingering beneath. Itachi closed his eyes and carefully aimed the kunai at the opposite wall. It pierced the hard surface right next to the former kunai he had cleaned, before she entered.

Sakura's eyes hesitated at the kunai, before it averted back to Itachi. She almost got a heart attack. He was staring her straight in the eye with that trademark of a smirk of his. Slowly, as if deliberately to tease her, he ran a hand through his damp locks of raven hair.

_He must've taken a bath. That could explain why he isn't wearing that stupid cloak._

As if on cue, the very vivid image of heavy water pouring down the wet frame of a muscled, lean and flexible body with slick raven hair clinging to a smooth back while contrasting against pale skin, flashed through her mind mercilessly.

"Sushi."

Sakura blinked herself out of her haze of passion and went to stare at Itachi instead.

"… he should've respected my privacy and not just barge in," she muttered, a bit ashamed of how she had reacted earlier that day. Itachi's eyes never seemed to leave her, and at last, she started fidgeting out of self-consciousness. That was, when he let out an amused chuckle. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why did you order me in here? If you need some meat to satisfy your needs, then please get it over with," she snarled in anger, her breathing heavy and uncontrolled. Itachi closed his eyes.  
"I want some company," he explained, as if that justified him ordering her into his room in the middle of the god damn night. Oh, what a good reason huh? Sakura crossed her arms and sent him a glare. Who the hell, did he think he was? He just never thought about, how she would feel.

"Then pick Kisame," she reasoned back sharply. Itachi arched one elegantly shaped eyebrow at her sudden attitude of defiance. His glare intensified slightly.

"He's not amusing enough."

Sakura let her eyes wander to the floor.

_Yeah right! That fuckhead just likes to toy with us!_ Inner Sakura shrieked in rage and hit the thin air in Sakura's mind. Sakura silenced her inner voice and let her eyes slide back to Itachi again. He was still watching her with that annoyingly intense glare, which seemed to pierce right through her very defenses against him and his advances of her.

"Or not _female _enough," she murmured lowly and kept their eyes locked, a shudder running down her spine. Okay, it was hard to deny that glare wasn't just a bit alluring. Itachi smirked and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his legs, which crossed beneath him on the mattress. He folded his hands and made them support his chin.

"Well, it surely has its odds, you're a red-blooded female, kunoichi," he spoke. Slowly, softly, temptingly, huskily… seductively…

Sakura flushed, whether from anger or something entirely else.

"Screw you Itachi," she hissed in pure fury. The second she said those word, the second she regretted it. Slowly and predatorily, his eyelashes went down to cover his eyes, as she heard the activation of the sharingan. Fear rushing through her, she stumbled back a few steps and adrenaline flowed through her muscles and made them pound with energy.

Slowly he rose from the bed, with his eyes covered by his raven locks of hair. She could clearly make out his muscles flexing underneath that thin fishnet material.

_…Don't **even **go there, Sakura!_

"You should be careful of what you say. It could end up causing you harm, my dear kunoichi," Itachi said flatly. That statement should scare her. She should've acted like a scared little puppy and run away with her tale between her legs. Well, she should have, but on occasion… she didn't do what was counted for the proper thing.

"Uchiha Itachi it doesn't matter how much, or rather how little, respect I have for you. Neither how I see you, but what does matters is the way you treat me. Like a low and filthy, dumb human. Like I'm not rational enough to make my own decision, and do what I think, is the best for me. I know very well how to take care of myself, and I don't even need your constant lavishing on me. I'm tired of being handled and seen as some toy only used for pleasure, only used to satisfy your needs. If you can't see that I'm a ninja, an intelligent being, then I simply don't know how to show you, I'm not weak anymore. You have absolutely no right over me, you can't claim me, you can't say I'm yours, which then proves, I'm able to make my own decisions and do what I feel is appropriate, and if I want to voice my opinion I god dam do."

The next thing she felt… was a hard blow on the side of her head. Painful warmth invaded her head and her vision blurred with darkness. The thing called sound vanished, and she only felt the harsh blow on her spine and the back of her already spinning head, as she hit a wall with brutal force…

…A steamy wall.

Forcing her eyes to open, she caught a fast glimpse of a steamy bathroom –apparently he had just been showering-, but then a shadow hovered above her. She barely managed to let out a yelp, as she was yanked to the floor by her hair and then thrown into the shower. She dimly felt being pinned up against the wet wall. Damp water entered her clothes and hit her skin.

Then without warning, white-hot rage fumed through her and made her eyes shoot open, to glare at Itachi with determination, she barely knew existed within her. The force of his sharingan hit her, as she felt her body go numb and stiff. He was immobilizing her.

_What! **Coward!**_

"Oh yes, just hit me Itachi. Show me your strength, as if I didn't know you're stronger already! Just prove your supremacy by doing me harm. Just make your pride swell with satisfaction of causing another being pain. That's your way of the ninja, right? Causing others pain to satisfy yourself?" she hissed and felt his grab around her neck get tighter with every word she spoke. She breathed heavily yet shallowly for very much needed air.

However, she wasn't done yet. By now her entire back was numb with cold from the shower walls, and her head was spinning uncomfortably. She was sure, it was a wet trail of thick blood, she could feel tickling down the side of her temple and halfway down her cheek.

"Come on, Itachi! Hit me! Make me fucking suffer," she yelled in blind rage. Her words died in her throat, as she felt the pad of a calloused finger trace her dry bottom-lip. Her eyes widened, and traveled upwards to meet with Itachi's dark gaze.

"Such a vulgar tongue," he muttered gently, or at gently as Uchiha Itachi could ever manage, and pressed his finger tighter onto her lip, making it swell. She resisted the urge to bite that finger, but before she even got to debate it, Itachi removed the finger. She felt her head yanked back and her throat exposed to him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Just freaking hit me, punch me or whatever," she sneered with venom and tried to struggle, but his sharingan had someway numbed her entire body and had made it immobile and stiff.

"You need to soften up that tongue of yours," Itachi smirked. Sakura didn't even catch the words properly. If she did, she wouldn't have continued with her words.

"Screw you, this is getting too hard-"

He kissed her.

His lips met hers in a sinful passion, gently coaxing her to respond to the addicting feeling. Sakura barely had the chance to act, before he pinned her to the wall with his warm body. Her hand placed itself on the wall behind her for support, but unfortunately hitting the controller to the shower. Warm and steamy water poured down the showerhead, enveloping the two of them in oblivion.

Being kind of intoxicated by the harsh blow on her head, instincts kicked in, and made her do what every other female would do, having soft lips pressed tightly against her own.

She responded.

With equal burning passion, equal blazing shame, equal fuming desperateness but most of all… equal raw need.

As his lips molded hers into sweet bliss, she felt his hand trailing low on her hip, and then moving up the small of her back. Far away, she felt her hair plaster to her head, heavy with hot water. She sensed her dress clinging to her soaked body and making her non-existent curves stand out from her slim form.

She didn't even realize, as her body stopped feeling numb. Neither did she sense, as her hands slid up his chest and shoulders, to entangle themselves in his wet, raven hair. She didn't even blush, as her hands of their own will, pushed his head closer to her, his lips firming the pressure on her own.

She broke the kiss to let out a husky breath, due to the sudden sensation of his one finger tracing sensually down her spine. Her body arched and pressed their chests together. That was when his lips attached to her neck, nibbling softly and slowly.

Sakura didn't register her fingers starting to play with the wet hair at the nape of his neck. The finger, which had been traveling up and down her spine until now, slid across her back and followed the curve of her breast and up to her collarbone, where it began tugging at her shirt.

Itachi's lips lingered on her skin, trailing low on her collarbone and to her shoulder, nipping hungrily at her skin, as if it was candy-flavored. Sakura felt his hands grabbed her shirt, and as she felt the coldness of metal placed lightly on her skin, realization hit her. Her eyes went wide, as the kunai sliced through the front of her shirt, leaving her vulnerable to his gaze.

Red flushed onto her cheeks, and bewildered she tried to pry him of her, but he growled and pinned her wrists to the wall.

"I-Itachi. No," she mumbled weakly and shoved at him. He let out a chuckle and let his eyes wander over her torso. Toned stomach, slender hips, flawless skin and –as she so often complained- firm and not exceptionally big breasts, covered by a simply white cotton bra, placed low on the swell of her breasts. He smirked. No laces, no silk, no fancy design. This girl truly was no seductress… Just pure innocence.

Sakura flushed dark red, feeling his gaze examining her. She expected him to push her away. She expected him to start laugh. She expected him to frown in disgust…

He tugged at the hem of her bra with his teeth, his lips brushing the top of her left breast.

She literally stopped breathing, due to the sensation of his mouth paying such tender attention to one of her erogenous zones.

Itachi smirked and tugged harder at the bra, feeling the material damping by the water rolling down her skin and body. Sakura's eyes closed and her head fell back against the wall. Acting on instinct her hips rolled into his, shoving against him. He groaned and clenched his finger around the wet dress at her legs, his hands searching for the wet skin beneath.

The dress rode high on her hips and revealed matching underwear. Itachi smirked harder. God, this girl was just so predictable. His fingers quickly found the spot aching on her thigh.

That was when their eyes met, his voice caressing her mind.

_**Not too hard Sakura… Too emotional…**_

…and then…

"My my my, so that is what she is used for!"

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(1): "Got the hell, or rather go to the sushi bar!" – You know what this is Phoenix –wink-

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**A/N: -**ducks flying pans and forks- SORRY! I know its a cliffy and doing one after this long time without an update. SORRY! 

So uhm, you guys understood my explanation of the seal? I sure hope so… Or else just tell me to refresh in a review okay? Its kinda important, and I know, I just threw it all onto you, but if you didn't get it, TELL ME!

I finished this very late, and I'm having a headache, so just please ignore grammar this once. I'm too tired to read it through that well.

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**Preview of Chapter 9:**  
(If you guess which sin, this chapter is, I'll grant you a special cookie)

"As if you want that"

"What"

"Don't try act all innocent. If Itachi walked up to you and asked you to fuck him, you'd at any rate enjoy it. After all that's what whores do right"

"Sa-Sakura"

"Oh what? Did I touch a sore spot? Do you fear Itachi might forget you and turn attention upon somebody else? Huh? Do you fear him just using you? Like some fuck-doll"  
"What is wrong with you"

"Wrong? You know what Kiiran? You are so incredibly naïve to think, I don't know what you're doing! You couldn't handle it if he accidentally slipped into somebody else could you? You keep talk to me about avoiding him, but why don't you just do it yourself?"

* * *

**Review responses:**

**SesshysGal:** Heh, I'm SO glad you like my story more than coffee! –winks-

**Miaka Akito:** …YAY! FAV AND ALERT! LURVE YOU!

**Gelayel:** Happened? They're all here! –winks- Itachi jealous of Kakashi? When he realizes what is going on, I think that is pretty obvious… heh…

**A Girl Who Loves Anime:** I'll gladly give you some tips? Which kind of tips though?

**Firefox:** Heh, what "stuff"? Him not being a virgin? –winks- Well, perhaps you ARE right… and perhaps not! Yay, thanks for not thinking its going too slow…

-sigh- Actually my little brother on barely two years is eating all of my candy and just spitting it out on my sheets… :( I feel your pain!

**FranWi:** Heh, thanks for the kind words! You're the second one this time liking Inner Sakura! THANKS! I didn't put her in that much this time though….

Eliza: Heh.. A virgin… Just a thought bothering me. I mean come on, Itachi has more pride than letting a whore take his virginity! Right!

**brasskix$$:** Its okay! As long as you still review! –smiles-

**miaka54321:** Heh, THANKS as always friendie!

**KagomeAngel91:** How i get emotions in it? Well… I think part of it is developed skill, but then ALSO, the main part is…Well… I have a kind of… deal with myself. I WRITE when i FEEL LIKE! If you force yourself to write, it ALWAYS comes out sucking major. If you want a good piece of emotion filled story, you need to WANT to write it AND be in the mood.

You see, i usually jump in the chapter, because at times i feel like writing angst and then sometimes fluff, so i switch between what I want to, and because i WANT to write it, I can manage to make it sound good…

Also, when I'm sad i write the sad parts. Its about being in the mood too!

Heh, thanks for reviewing by the way!

**Jennjennr:** Heh, i love writing Inner Sakura too! "Love the dialogue you have between Itachi and Sakura?" "Love how I have created Itachi's character, and his thoughts, it all seems so real?" –blushes- Awwww…

Oh yeah and the girl. Well i don't know yet, if she has been involved with him, because then Kiiran has too, and making two persons involved and Sakura too… I think its gonna get a bit confusing, but it only adds to the tension though, so… maybe, maybe not!

Yeah, I know. I made her hard to understand for a reason. Almost hard to read like Kakashi! Heh….

**Miakoda13:** Thanks! And you're gonna hate me later on okay? Itachi and Kiiran…-shrugs- And yes, I just have that stereotypical way of "shy girl/tough guy" going on in this story…-sigh- Actually if you read my other stories, I always have it like that. I dunno. I think, I just like that bad boy act. I just don't like a relationship where the girl is being the dominant one. –sigh- Perhaps because I'm shy myself….

**K. Lynn Smith:** ooooohh.. The gift? THANKS! …for ignoring my bad grammar too –winks-

**Pretear Fan:** Top a topper? Hmm… Don't really know… Did i do it? –winks-

**blackXheart:** Hmmm… saying that is gonna ruin the rest of the story, but i can give you a little hint: Isn't Itachi cruel to everybody? And doesn't he toy with everybody?

**Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie:** I made him a bit nice in this chapter, but i believe he can't be changed that fast and bluntly. I need to make it go slow… though i understand your patience very well my dear friend!

And, about the next chapters being about sins, then YES! If I can figure it out though, then yes. Some of the sins are hard to fix into the story though. –sigh-

**Rising Pheonix:** Wishes? Heh, i already told you dear friend. ANYWAY –hugs Sasuke too- WE LOVE SASUKE! –looks at Phoenix- Kill me? –gulps-

Riiiiiiight…

-runs over to Chase and clings to him-

…

LURVE YOU TOO!

**Shanna:** heh, well I'm sorry not having more chapters for you to read, but now you got this one… and YAY, favorites and alerts!

**CHICA DE LA LUNA FANTASMA:** YAY, HURRAY FOR THE SHADOW CLONES! …O.O and showerheads –winks-

**XUchihaSerenaX:** Hey hey, you being the second one asking about the seal, i decided to put up the explanation for it in this chapter. –smiles- But i can give you this little piece of information i haven't written in the chapter: Activating the seal, is activating the bond between them. And the bond is activated by him touching the place the seal is on her body for an amount of time. Really, that's just a shorter explanation of the more detailed one I put up in the story, but to voice it plainly, its like that.

**selandora:** Yeah well, i had to keep you guys' addiction to the story high right? –winks-

**_THANKS TO YOU ALL!_**

(Including: **animemistress419, Truth or Desire, akashicrecord, BlackAngelBlood, Itaka, SatuAka, Redwillow123, Kirdari, sara, BlueKanji, MerodiPansa, moomoomoothegirl, A.B34UT1FUL-Lie, reader 17, Itachi's-Gurl41, Ruru Tenshi, Sadiztik Torture and candice**)

**_-Frozzy_**


	9. The 7 Deadly Sins: Envy – Jealousy

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy)  
**Category:** Action/Romance Rated: T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note:** If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

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Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**Summary:** Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just one male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

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**Soundtracks:**

And now I have to honor of being able to officially grant my story its very own CD!

Though, the real honor goes to my lovely friend **_Mela-chan!_**

**Sakura Drops** - Hikaru Utada Theme Song Sakura's theme

**Scarlet** - Brace;d opening 1

**Listen To Your Heart** - DHT Also Remix Of LTYH

**Addicted** - Kelly Clarkson

**Gone **- Kelly Clarkson

**Whisper** - Evanescence

**My Heart Is The Worst Kind Of Weapon** - Fall Out Boy Itachi Theme

**Unwritten **- Natasha Bedingfield

**Because Of You** - Kelly Clarkson

**A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch** - Fall Out Boy

* * *

**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By Frozyemo

**Chapter Nine: The 7 Deadly Sins: Envy – Jealousy**

…_and then…_

"_My my my, so that is what she is used for!"_

Sakura's eyes flew open in horror, and her face went pale and blank. Itachi though, only held her tighter, his breath fanning across her skin, as he only stopped to chuckle lowly, before restarting the nipping on her bra. Sakura flushed several shades of pure crimson and bewildered shoved him away with her hands on his shoulders.

He didn't move an inch at all, blocking Sakura from seeing the persons behind him. The water still poured down and made her vision even blurrier, and she angrily tried to avoid the droplets falling onto her eyelashes, and made them flutter.

"That was on time you made your appearance," Itachi then stated calmly and locked eyes with Sakura, clearly saying ´cover up your chest. Sakura frowned in offence, nevertheless she had in her mind doing so, whether he had ´said´ it or not. She sure as hell wasn't going to expose her to anyone.

"If we interrupt something, we could just go talk to Kisame or Kiiran, while you… finish," a doubtlessly female voice smirked slyly behind Itachi's back. Sakura flushed even more and managed to pull the torn shirt across her chest, and brushed away her wet hair from her face and neck to look just a bit decent, standing with a…well very handsome male underneath a pouring showerhead half-naked.

Yeah, very decent, Inner Sakura smirked slyly. Sakura strangled her Inner mind at that rate, not feeling like dealing with her libido, since she was already in a suggestive position as it was. 

Itachi kept glaring intensely at her, and the burning passion and lust deep within those crimson pools, made her flush even more than any of his touches ever could. Especially the way his eyes would occasionally roam over her torso, and the way his eyes glistened with impatience, as he did so.

"You have it?" he asked the persons behind him. Sakura dazedly watched his soft lips, as he spoke, and she felt her own lips tingling at the memory of the taste.

God, I'm getting addicted to him. 

_Wake up girl! Screw the audience. You are standing with Uchiha Itachi underneath a pouring shower. And **shower** and **Uchiha Itachi** equals-_

"It took some time, and we're sorry for bumping in unannounced, but we got it, and by looks of it, it needs to be set in use fast, or else it will-"

"Leave and go find Kisame," Itachi cut off the male. Sakura was slightly annoyed Itachi wouldn't let her see the persons he talked to, but she guessed, they had to be part of the Akatsuki considering they didn't talk with that all too formal voice, and they dared addressing Itachi so…indecently. Well not really indecently, but seeing the respect – or rather fear – people held for Itachi, these two persons seemed to lack that respect, since in this case it was _definitely_ not fear.

Sakura blushed at the possessiveness of Itachi's voice, as he had spoken.

"Sure Itachi-san," the male responded, and finally, Sakura was granted with the respect, she had thought lacking. Well, at least she was granted with that respect from the male that is. The female? Well, that was slightly different to say at last.

"Oh and Itachi, don't go too harsh on her. She's obviously a virgin."

Sakura flushed furiously and panted with anger, as she tried to look over Itachi's shoulder, taking in the fact he suddenly had her wrists pinned up above her head. She heard the click of the door, as they left, and then she gained her voice back full force.

"Who were they, and what is _it_?"

Itachi glanced down at her, and the piece of skin showing, where her shirt once again had slid apart, as her hands no longer tugged it together at her front. Sakura hissed at him and struggled in his grip, feeling anger clouding her mind. Itachi smirked at her, as she struggled to no avail. As his lips formed to speak, Sakura narrowed her jade eyes at him with determination, he had rarely seen within her these last days, they had spent here.

"Don't you dare say no one, because I am fairly sure, that I am not a bimbo with blonde hair, a doll-face, a brain at the size of nothingness and boobs at the size of balloons (1)" she hissed with venom and pursed her lips.

Itachi's smirk grew amused, and deliberately slowly, he inched forward and placed a gentle and daring nip on her ear. Sakura shuddered, sensing the sensuality of that caress. Already knowing the silky and husky voice he was going to use, Sakura instantly shelled her senses.

"No. You are an incredibly fierce pinkheaded kunoichi, with a flawless face with soft and peachy lips, an incredible intelligence and with pert, firm and exquisite breasts, soft and smooth and just the right size to cup in ones palm – my palm to be exact!"

And as to emphasise his point, his hand slid down to cup her right breast, softly massaging it.

"You see, Sakura? Just the right size."

Sakura was horrified to say at last.

Horrified by the faint moan, that slid pass her lips, and later on was followed by the chuckle from Itachi. He let her go, her arms falling down her sides numbly and her eyes glazed over with something similar to passion. He eyed her hungrily one last time, before turning around.

"Sakura, return to your room," he ordered, before he left the bathroom completely. Sakura stared after him, feeling the blush staining her cheeks, and the tingling warmth, which had been engulfing her breast, still lingered there, as if to torture her about the memory of it and tell her about its absence.

…_Tease_, Inner Sakura pouted and made Sakura flush in embarrassment.

"Sakura. Make sure to wear the attire on your bed, when I call for you later tonight!"

(-)

Royally pissed at what had just happened, Itachi strode into the room, in which he knew Kisame had lead Chii and Hajo. It was just too much. He had her right there. Her warm, soft and supple body yearning to be touched by him, and then they just had to appear right at the moment, she was about to give in.

At the table sat Kisame, his eyes half-lidded in sleep. Beside him sat two persons, each wearing the trademark cloak of the Akatsuki, indicating they were respected members. The female was slim and muscled, her hair waving in blonde curls down to her shoulders, and the determined sparkle in her jade eyes – almost similar to Sakura's, Itachi noticed – was enough to allure any man into her net of temptation. The male sitting peacefully beside her, was just as much handsome, as the female was beautiful. He had vivid sapphire eyes and pitch-black hair falling down into his eyes and brushing against his olive-skin.

If anything Itachi would've thought of the two being lovers, if he didn't know the fact, they were related, being cousins.

Kisame lazily glared, as Itachi strode over to the nearest chair, and sat down formally. Chii, the female, let her eyes rest on his form and a wicked grin spread across her lips. Hajo sent his cousin a glare and shook his head.

It would be lying, saying that the little scene between Itachi and that pinkhaired kunoichi having a big part in this mission, hadn't allured Hajo's senses to heighten just a tad bit, but still, it would be tempting fate to start anything with that pinkhead.

However, sure the Akatsuki didn't work together as a team and at the same missions like normal shinobis would, but they _did_ assist each other, when asked for. Like now, when Itachi and Kisame had asked for assistance with the Kyubi thing. It was well-known the Kyubi-mission had taken years now and all in all everybody within the Akatsuki were involved by now, some less and some more, but in the end they all were.

Of course, Itachi lead the whole thing the most, considering he had been on the mission, as the first one ever. Next came Kisame.

"Tell me and do it fast," Itachi declared and watched them with flatness and sternness in his eyes. Kisame sent him an obviously quite astonished glare

"Eager to finish?" Chii drawled and earned sharp glare from Hajo. He shook his head at her, meanwhile Itachi simply did what was necessary to ignore her, which was paying attention to Hajo instead.

"She is lovely though. The complete picture of innocence," Chii continued mercilessly, and this time Hajo only sighed and ignoring his cousin and her fetish about sex, he pulled out a scroll from his cloak. The dusty paper was shredded at the ends and looked flossy and fragile. Several complicated letters were painted onto the material, preventing the seals inside to break free.

Hajo gestured towards the scroll with a tilt of his head, and the locking of his and Itachi's eyes.

"As you know this scroll is capable of caging in Kyubi due to the seal placed upon in. Said seal contains fragments of Kyubi's raw chakra, which has fused into it, each time Kyubi's chakra is released from Naruto," Hajo explained slowly and calmly. Chii nodded her agreement and Itachi narrowed his eyes at the scroll in hidden anticipation.

Kisame was the one thinking a bit further than just the scroll, Naruto and Kyubi. And oddly enough he was actually the one being logical this time.

"And the kunoichi?"

All three of them stared at Kisame with arched brows. Chii recovered quickly and slid her hands with the long and sharp nails over the scroll, although only touching air, as if she feared the destruction of the scroll too, if she touched it.

"Yes, that is the harsh part. We don't know for sure, and its up to you, to try figure out if you want, but what we have assumed from earlier information, is that Sakura is connected with her seal to this scroll. So far, we believe that her strength in genjutsu and chakra control is a part of the reason why, since the better control of your chakra you have, the easier you mend into a scroll, because scrolls are all about chakra control," Hajo claimed and ran a hand through his messy hair, narrowing his sapphire eyes ever so slightly.

Itachi couldn't help but glare at the two Akatsuki. They knew he absolutely hated it, when people tried to sneak pass the real subject, just like they did now. Instead of all the talking, they could just tell him what they meant, instead of putting it into fancy words and sentences.

"We're you heading?" he asked coldly, his entire form emanating with impatience. Hajo sent him an obvious glare, which Chii copied herself. Hajo was the first one to realize his mistake and quickly averted his eyes to the side, but as usual, Chii was way too confident concerning especially Itachi. Due to that confidence, she received a harsh blow to her jaw, which made her stumble back into the chair.

Hajo sighed, as his cousin stared in shock at Itachi, who looked as if hadn't he moved at all. Hajo ran a hand through his hair, a bad habit, and set his elbow on the table, leaning his head against his palm.

"Itachi-san, Naruto's devotion to her, has made Kyubi fond of Sakura-"

"-which _can_ mean if Sakura gets too close to this scroll, her chakra will intertwine with Kyubi's, since Kyubi wishes to protect her from any danger, because Naruto and itself are fond of her. They don't want her hurt, and right now, Sakura probably feels hurt and threatened, so this scroll will basically absorb Sakura, if she _should_ touch it! To save her that is," Chii took over, practically snarling it reluctantly to Itachi.

"To where?"

"What?"

"Absorb?" Itachi stated flatly. Chii bit back her snap of disapproval, and instead clamped her mouth shut. Hajo took up the tread instead.

"Oh yes, we think that since Kyubi is stronger than Naruto, separated, then Sakura will automatically be lead to Kyubi," he explained slowly and securely. Chii nodded and dared open her mouth, without spitting venom onto Itachi.

"The problem within that, is that only Naruto is able to enter himself and Kyubi, _and_ leave," she said a bit strained. Kisame sent her a stare, which she made sure faded away, by one of her own cold looks. Hajo rolled his eyes at her.

"What Chii means, is that if Sakura is first absorbed inside Naruto, Kyubi will suck out her chakra in its lust for power. That is because inside Naruto, Kyubi isn't affected by Naruto's feelings, since inside they are separated. That means Kyubi isn't fond of Sakura separated from Naruto," Hajo went further on explaining in that slow and calm manner. Chii twirled a lock of her blonde curls around her finger and tilted her head.

"Which is the problem, since then – due to Kyubi's hunger for power – Sakura will have all of her chakra sucked out, and she will have no chance of leaving Naruto ever, being sucked for chakra all the time!"

Kisame looked up at Hajo with a signifying look clearly expressing his anger towards the scroll. Itachi was tapping his fingers against the table slowly and delicately, his eyes void of any emotion, yet they seemed clouded somehow. The tapping grew aggressive for a second, before it slowed down completely and his hand rested limply on the table.

"But still, we just have to keep her from the scroll," Kisame reasoned. Itachi closed his eyes.

"Yes Kisame, but there is one problem," Chii hesitated and searched for Hajo's assistance, as her eyes flicked over towards him. Itachi grew impatient.

"What is that?" he growled. Chii sent him a reprimanding glare, which made her earn a sharp nudge in her side by Hajo's elbow. She scowled at Hajo, and he shrugged, before turning his attention to Itachi.

"If Kyubi isn't caged inside the scroll soon, its chakra inside the scroll will get restless, and end up simply _leaving_ this scroll and search for the nearest source of itself. In this case that is Sakura, because as mentioned, she is connected to this scroll, which stores Kyubi's chakra!"

Chii took up the tread and started to pin up her hair into a braid at her neck.

"And that means within few days, if no information is gathered about getting Kyubi sealed in here, Sakura will practically get sucked into Naruto and all of this will fail," she said dramatically and closed her eyes, arching her brows. Itachi frowned ever so slightly and Kisame's eyes widened, before he let out a heavy sigh.

Even Itachi seemed to lose his composure for just a second, before it was back in place and if possible even stronger than at first.

"So…To gather more time, we have to get information out of Sakura, and seal it in here, until we eventually _can_ cage in Kyubi," Hajo explained, and silence erupted after that. An awkward tension covered the room in its sticky grip, and for a moment, Itachi was filled with horror.

"Itachi-san?"

Itachi lifted his gaze, and rested it upon Chii. For once…she actually looked serious.

"You have to get serious now. No more playing for fun! If she does not wish for you, to know what you ask, you cant even hear it in her thoughts, so…you have to active it _fully_!"

The silence continued.

"It's a shame, she's a virgin," Chii whispers softly and in between all the silence, everybody agreed.

(-)

Kiiran clutched the folded sheet in her hands, as she made her way through the corridors, her mind blank with thoughts. Lately Sakura had been stressed and frustrated with the way Itachi treated her. It wasn't, that he treated her badly, like abusing her or anything. It was just he toyed so violently with her mind, and Sakura was an independent female with her own mind and a strong will – just like Itachi – so surely she wasn't used too feel such turmoil in her mind, as she did now, due to what he placed upon her.

Kiiran smiled sadly. Itachi was too…overwhelming for innocence such as Sakura's, but lately he had seemed stressed too. Perhaps the bonding with the seal had something to do with it.

And yes, she indeed did know about the seal. From Kisame though. He was so easy making spilling his guts, when he was under the influence of alcohol. And yes again, she did sound like a manipulating… well bitch, but in the end it was true down to every last letter of that word.

B-I-T-C-H

Kiiran sighed heavily and shook her head, pushing open the door into Itachi's private corridors. That man was really spoiled by the organisation, although he _was _the most valuable one after all, so she guessed it didn't really matter, whether he was spoiled or not. He still deserved the luxury either way.

With a sigh, Kiiran readied herself to enter Itachi's room, just as the door opened roughly and Itachi was staring down at her with those crimson irises of his.

"Itachi," Kiiran gasped in shock and stumbled a few steps back. Itachi watched her intensely, his eyes narrowed and his jaw tense, and before Kiiran had the chance to prevent it happening, he had grabbed her harshly by her arm, jerked her up against him and kissed her with utter desperation and need.

The world came to a halt. Every sound drowned in her ears, and her vision went blurry and dizzy. This was not like the kisses, they had shared before in the past. This was rough, violent and to a certain rate almost abusing to her soft and pliant lips.

Itachi growled deep in his throat, as he dominated the kiss with feverish and frustrated strokes of his tongue. His one hand fisted in her hair, the other at her waist, gripping her hip almost painfully tightly. He barely felt the smoothness of her lips and the haunting of the past flashing in his mind.

He couldn't recall the pleasure of holding Kiiran like this. She was empty, shallow. A mere nothing anymore.

The words rang through his head like scorching hot, boiling water, and his sharingan began swirling without his approval. The anger and frustration had hid deep within him, ever since the damn kunoichi had been involved in this.

"…_get serious now. No more playing for fun"_

He had feared that would happen.

"_you have to active it _fully_!"_

Somehow, he had just hoped for more time. For some time to make her at least trust him, before he would have to take away the one thing most precious to a woman.

"It's a shame, she's a virgin" 

It disturbed him. He didn't want to just take her for granted. Like a piece of meat, just to gawk at. He had reassured her, he had honor and pride countless times, by promising not to break this deal, but somehow he knew this would be crossing his boundaries, and somehow he knew it would hurt her.

And somehow… that bothered him. Like he felt guilty for having to do this. He knew this was a matter of pure business, but Sakura. She was just so fragile and innocent. He just knew, this would hit her harder, than if it had been another. Like that blonde-haired friend, enemy or whatever of hers! She had spark, and knew how to negotiate.

He ran his fingers through her pink locks of hair. So soft and smooth- wait _pink_? This was _Kiiran_. Itachi parted, but kept his lips hovering above hers, his eyes mixed with confusion and anger.

The soft gasp made him open his eyes, and almost immediately the deep colour of jade invaded his mind, like a pitchfork would cut relentlessly through a bundle of soft and warm hay. His world froze, as he let go of Kiiran, as if had he burned himself on her frame.

Sakura stared in shock at Itachi in the doorway, her eyes wide and her soft lips parted, drawing in a hectic breathing of panic. Itachi couldn't tear his gaze off her, neither did his tongue obey his mind. Not a single word left his lips. The only thing happening…was his eyes darkening and his posture turning cold, though his inside…

… guilt?

The next thing Itachi managed to get a fast glimpse of, was her pink hair twirling in the air, as she spun around and her feet started carrying her faster than ever.

As Itachi stood paralysed by the foreign emotion building up inside his chest, Kiiran's eyes filled with horror, and within a few second, she had run after Sakura too.

Itachi stared after them…

What did just happen?

(-)

Sakura was partly blinded by the hurt and sorrow inside her, even though anger and rage was the two emotions sparking inside of her. Did Kiiran just betray her? Did she just go against everything she had warned…Did she… Did she just fucking kiss Itachi? The one man she had advised Sakura to stay away from. Not getting too close to, because in the end he would only hurt her, and leave her back with the pieces of their time together, to plaster into the right places?

Had she just betrayed what little feeling of care, they had developed during her stay?

Their… friendship?

"Sakura, where are you going? I swear, I didn't mean for that to happen."

The moment those words was said, Sakura felt what little compassion, she had ever held for Kiiran crumbled into broken pieces in front of her. To say her world was shattered, was a bit overrated, but somehow…in a way… it was…

He had kissed her…she had allowed it…

Sakura's eyes widened, but nevertheless she spun around gracefully and faced Kiiran with a face filled to the bottom with pure and raw fury and hatred…To Kiiran…

Am I…possessive? 

"As if you didn't want it to happen," Sakura snarled with her teeth gritted in anger. Her entire body shook and her fists clenched into paleness. Sakura could have sworn, she had never felt such humongous chakra inside her, swelling to be let lose and let out the frustration inside her.

It didn't matter, when Itachi toyed with her. When he left her aching for him, or whatever, but when he kissed another female like that. In her presence. Even though she had no reason be angry, but happy that he finally would maybe leave her a bit alone…

Because she didn't want him to touch her…

Right?

It did feel good, she was pass the limit denying that and staying in refusal, only making it a lot worse than it already was, but she wasn't supposed to feel like this. To feel like she cared about whom, he mingled with and shared saliva with. Would it have been different if it hadn't been Kiiran, but a total stranger? Would it?

Sakura doubted it. She really did.

Itachi was a strong and desired shinobi, he had without doubt had many women and such, and they weren't together or anything. She was his goddamn hostage in a fucking deal, but it was just…

Somehow…It hurt…

"What?" Kiiran gasped in shock and frowned in disbelief. Sakura smirked darkly and snorted bitterly at her so-called friend, staring at her with such…sadness? Guilt?

Sakura shook her head.

_No_. _With all her beauty and appeal, she is able to get affection from him. And when I beat myself **half to death**, offer myself on a freaking plate for him to devour me and when I god damn agreed to destroy my dignity and pride, all I get is encounters that means **shit**._

_**Hey** wait! You do remember Sakura, you are **not **supposed to like him right?_

_Oh **shut** up! _

"Don't try act all innocent. If Itachi walked up to you and asked you to fuck him, you'd at any rate enjoy it. After all that's what whores do right?" Sakura hissed, her eyes cold and void of any emotion but pure hatred.

"Sa-Sakura?" Kiiran gasped shocked, but Sakura was immune to the look of sadness crossing Kiiran's eyes. Instead, she let all her anger out on the poor Kiiran, standing helplessly with her arms hanging down her sides and her eyes hurt and confused.

"Oh what? Did I touch a sore spot? Do you fear Itachi might forget you and turn attention upon somebody else? Huh? Do you fear him just using you? Like some fuck-doll," Sakura continued, her voice dripping with acid and venom, and pestering the air around them. Never had Sakura acted this hostile to anyone, but this time her limit had been crossed just that tad bit too much, for her to simply ignore, as she used to.

"What is wrong with you-"

"Wrong? You know what Kiiran? You are so incredibly naïve to think, I don't know what you're doing! You couldn't bear if he accidentally _slipped_ into somebody else could you? You keep talk to me about avoiding him, but why don't you just do it yourself?" Sakura accused with one finger pointing at Kiiran. Kiiran helplessly held up her hands and tried to soothe Sakura, and make her relax, by taking a step closer.

Sakura though, simply scowled at Kiiran, and made her step even further away than before. No way, Sakura was letting this slip. She finally had the chance to let go of her frustration, yet somehow deep down her mind, she knew this was wrong. Wrong hurting Kiiran like this, just because she was confused herself and had to get out her frustration, and then Kiiran had just been the nearest thing possible drowning her sorrow in.

Kiiran frowned and hurt rose up in her stunningly blue eyes.

"Sakura, I've never said anything like-"

"Just shut up Kiiran. I don't need your pity! I can develop that myself without your help," Sakura snarled and did her best not to deliver a kick together with the words too.

"What are you-"

"Its always you! Always Kiiran. He only pays attention to me, when _you_ having fucking asked him too," Sakura raged in frustration and fisted her hand.

Then, as sudden as the hurt had appeared in Kiiran's vivid sapphire eyes, it faded away and was replaced with…compassion.

"Sakura, you're-"

"What? Angry? Pissed? Annoyed?"

Sakura was out of breath by now, and the words came out as a husky whisper.

"…caught."

Sakura stared dumbfounded, as Kiiran with those last words, gave her a soft smile and turned around, walking away.

Caught… What does she mean? 

(-)

Sakura glanced down at the nightgown on her bed. No _way_ in hell, she was going to wear that fucking piece of clothing in the presence of him. That was seriously tempting fate. It had a low cut on the front, reached up to about midthigh and had straps at the width of a straw of grass. It was made of silk, doubtlessly some very expensive, considering it barely had a single spot discolored or anything.

She bit her lip. It did look comfortable though, and she had never tried wearing this kind of garment in such a fabric. And it would be a shame just to let it collect dust for no apparent reason, when she could grace her body with it.

_Come on! Get greedy and try it on! Nobody says he's gonna enter right now. You can just take if off before he comes! Just a quick try._

And for once Sakura actually agreed with her Inner Mind.

Biting her lip in embarrassment, Sakura quickly slid out of her clothes, and slid into the plain white nightgown. It outlined her _non-existent_ curves and actually made her look just a bit…developed. The silk was soft against her skin and it had that smoothness, which left Sakura addicted almost immediately. Running her hand down her sides and to her hips, Sakura flushed profusely, and shook her head. Dear lord, Itachi was making her behave like some fucking model, giving her these kinds of clothes, which he knew very well, she would never dare wear in real life in the presence of others…let alone in the presence of him.

He had to be living in false hope.

_Caught_…

Sakura closed her eyes with a sigh. Yes, of course she hadn't forgotten what had just happened. She just tried to ignore it for now. She was just too tired dealing with it. Her entire body ached with the need for rest.

"Kunoichi!"

His voice pierced the air like needles would puncture through velvety silk, and Sakura was left paralyzed. Then…she twirled around on the spot, grabbing her cloak and pulling it around herself hastily.

Her eyes fell on the shadow leaning against the doorframe, an arrogant arched brow telling her everything she needed to hear.

Itachi smirked, as he saw the nightgown on her petite frame, hugging her like a second layer of skin, before she in humiliation made a pitiful attempt on covering up. She was so innocent. Thinking a mere cloak would prevent him from getting, what he wanted. Lazily he strolled across the room and ended up in front of her.

"You're jealous," he stated bluntly. Sakura stared in horrified awe at him, as he stood right in front of her, the scent of pure male lingering in the air around him, and dizzying her to the point, where she would be gaping openly in need for him.

"What," she managed to spit out through her haze of up-coming arousal. Itachi briefly closed his eyes, and inched forward, his breath collapsing onto her neck and clinging to her damp skin.

"I thought you found me repulsive Sakura-chan," he murmured with fake sadness. Sakura shivered involuntarily, and she suddenly found his nimble fingers clutching the cloak out of her grip with skilled finesse.

"I do-"

Before she could react, she felt the warm lips covering hers with a bruising force.. His soft lips gently moved against hers, making her used to the pressure.

Her body instantly melted into Itachi's muscular structure, and she felt like she was drowning, as he deepened the kiss, making it hungrier.

Sakura felt the fabric around her breast, or more likely the peak of it, had tightened. She bit down her bottom-lip in embarrassment. Itachi let his eyes roam down her neck and rest upon the stiffened peak stretching the silk. Parting his lips, he glared up into Sakura's darkened jade irises with hunger in his eyes.

He seemed to shatter her mind apart in pleasurable shards, the moment Sakura felt how his hand slid up her hip, her ribs and at last ended just beneath the curve of her breast. Curiously, he followed the swell of it up against her shoulder.

Separating his thumb from the other fingers, he let it slide across her breast, and gently knead the hard peak in the middle. Sakura's mouth opened in a gasp and her body went rigid. Eyes wide open, she glared shakily at Itachi, as he intensely watched her reaction.

Wetting his lips, he began rolling the peak beneath the pad of his thumb, alternating between grinding it and flicker his thumb across it. Sakura's lips parted even more in silent gasp for air, her chest heaved in deep pants, and it only seemed to increase the speed of her pulse, which was once again erratic and rapid.

_Oh god… I'm gonna hyperventilate…**shit**! _

She wanted so badly to tear away the silk coming in between his caress and her body. Continuing the caress of her breast through the silk, Itachi forced himself to speak, even though the soft erotic sighs from Sakura made it harder than needed. A full blush still covered her face. So innocent.

"You were jealous. Why? Am I only allowed to satisfy my needs in you, kunoichi?" Itachi smirked in a husky voice.

Sakura could only shake her head frantically. Smirking, Itachi fixed his eyes on that beautiful pert rosebud covered by a thin layer of fabric. Sakura shuddered, as he blew warm air on it, and it seemed to stiffen at the sudden difference in temperature.

_Holy **fuck** Sakura. What the heck is he doing to you. How the hell can this feel so good? ARGH, its Itachi! Uchiha Itachi! Do NOT let him take away your innocence! It's **Sasuke's**!_

"You seem distressed. Something the matter Sakura-chan?"

His words shot straight down where it throbbed the most.

Suddenly Itachi swept one arm around her waist, and the other pressed up against the wall as a little help to keep his balance straight, not to add being able to grab Sakura, if she attempted to run away, even though it was highly doubtful by the sudden turn of events.

"I am the predator Sakura. A territorial predator," he breathed into her ear.

Then, as if appearing out on nowhere, his lips slid down her collarbone and latched onto a hard peak. Drawing in a sharp breath at the wonderful pleasant feeling, Sakura buried her fingers into his soft, raven strands of hair, whether to pull him away or keep him there, she really didn't know.

His mouth was hot and his tongue rough, as it traced slow strokes on her pebbled bud, hardening it even more. Her breathing was shallow, and drawn into her lungs through gritted teeth. The sensual motions from his tongue were scorching hot and determined to torture her.

Then a knee was suddenly forcing Sakura's legs apart from each other, and she shuddered as chill air blew up her gown and swept across the heated moistness between her thighs. Breathing hot air onto her face, Itachi lightly traced her jaw with his nose.

A sudden flash of Kiiran during a make-out session with Itachi rushed through her mind fresh and clear, and with sudden strength, Sakura managed to shove Itachi off her. She panted heavily, as he stared at her in mild surprise.

Disgusted by herself and what had just happened, Sakura did the only thing she could.

….She slapped him. A harsh blow at his jaw. A fist connecting with his jaw.

The silence after that was deadly. Then the next thing that happened, was the sound of a spinning Sharingan activating. It took mere seconds for Sakura to realize, what she had just done.

And then… she ran….

Followed by the sinister laugh of Itachi's.

* * *

1: Phoenix… You know it already! –winks–

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**A/N: **I'm **_shocked_**. Did **_ALL_** of you forget about my two lovely ninja OC's from chapter 6,7 or whatever? O.O

Really? You did? Guess I should've made them a bit more outstanding then.

Oh…..CLIFFY once again…SOOOOOOORRRRRYYYY!

A-NY-way, did you like the whole scroll-thing? I made it to speed up the progress of this story and kind of setting a future end to it, since without the scroll this story could've kept on going forever. Now Itachi-kun is forced to gather the information. –grins wickedly- And we ALLLLLL know HOW he has to do that now….

If not…Read the chapter once again!

And you guys have NO IDEA how much I stuffed with this chapter, to make it work out. First the scene with Kiiran and Itachi wasn't even there, then the scene with Sakura meeting Itachi wasn't there and even the scene where Kiiran and Sakura confronts each other wasn't there…

**AND THEREFORE I apologise this chapter was a bit shorter!

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**

**Cookies:**

And as I promised, here are the cookies…AND ALSO for the ones guessing **GREED**!

**Moon Phases****, Amanda, ****Hitaru****animeaddict99****lilyandpebbleshuman****LunaGoddessOf Foxes****ItachiFreak****La-Garce-Fille****, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, chie, ****EnV****brasskix$$****Rising Pheonix****Miakoda13****FranWi****GaaraRules****, ireney, ****Hao'sAnjul****, laffytaffyyy, ****Ranna-chan****, bluekanji

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**

**Preview Of Chapter 10:**

_(and once again, guess the title and you'll get a little special something)_

"Your point?"

"Itachi has his pride. There is no way in the seven gates of hell, he will ever dishonour you. He may disrespect you, but he does that to everyone!"

"So…but…"

"Sakura, no matter what Itachi will always-"

"He kissed me!"

"Who? Itachi? Darling we know-"

"No, not him…"

"You mean-"

"And he saw…"

"…Is this why he has avoided you-"

"Like you said he's too proud to…"

" …to show he cares!"

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**Hitaru** Aw, you make me blush with those cool words of yours. Happy you like my fic and my wording

**selle18** Don't worry, it is a KakaSaku too, it just hard making it that at the moment, since Sakura is now captured in the headquarters, but later on it becomes a KakaSaku fic too!

**CHICA DE LA LUNA FANTASMA** Yay, you actually red my profile. I'm so honored. Not many people do, which really annoys me, since its there I se the dates for the updates, but if either way, its really not your fault lesser and lesser people take their time to read others profiles, so I'm just gonna shut up now… Because you DID read it!

**animeaddict99** AND YES! I GIVE YOU A COOKIE TOO! You did guess greed, but I decided somehow Sakura is greedy in this so, COOKIE FOR YOU!

-gulps- Anti-Kiiran?…heh, did you like this chapter then?

I felt like a hentai writing it sooo…you're excused!

**SatuAka** Yep…Some _did_ walk in on them! Like I already have told you.

**moomoomoothegirl** Sure you did. Anybody asking a question is mentioned. Hehe…

**lilyandpebbleshuman** YOU GOT THE SIN RIGHT! Hehe

**YamiKitsuneKami** You liked my fic that much! Wow…O.O…

**aoiroke-chan** A genius? Really? Awwwww…

**reader 17:** HehE, now its here!

**Firefox:** EXACTLY! He's bipolar, that's why he hit her so hard! Wow, we thinks alike!

**Sadiztik Torture**: ……I'VE MADE YOU ADDICTED! YAY! hehe

**A Girl Who Loves Anime**: Aw, now I'm blushing…

**Siy** AHHHHHHH, LURVE **YOUR **STORY!

**latoya** I know…That's why i now made the lovely scroll-thingy to get things moving…

**Tsukashi** Yep, they were just interrupted.. I'm just so nice aren't I?

**Akkirako Chikuro**Hehe, i distracted you from school! Actually…I've tried that too…Well, not with my own fic of course, but you know with other fics I thought rocked.

Oh and you like the flirting? Well I must say, the things I'm best writing is without doubt romance. Those little nice scenes I can write down in a matter of fifteen minutes if needed. I absolutely LOVE writing romance and fluff.

**blackXheart** Depends on when the time is you talk about! –smirks evilly-

**FranWi** Uhm overall i must say: THANK FOR EVERYTHING YOU WROTE YOU LIKED! YOU ROCK! LURVE YOU!

**Miakoda13** …-hugs Miakoda13- BWAHAHA, I MADE YOU CRY! –sniffs- SORRY!

Sasuke, Sakura? Well in this story there is some affection, but the affection Sasuke holds for Sakura is basically because of his rivalry with Itachi. If Itachi gets Sakura, Sasuke wants Sakura too! It's simple really.

Incident? Nah, its just everything Sasuke has done to her over the years. Inflicting her pain mentally because of his refusal to acknowledge her!

Uhm no…They CANT appear… Wanna know why?

I DONT KNOW THEM! SCREW DENMARK AND THE LACKS OF FUCKING MANGA-STUFF!

….NOT TO FORGET ANIME-STUFF!

**Rising Pheonix**: And if i remember my dear friend i answered all of your question already so…What is there left to say? Hehe…

AND YAY, ENVY, ENVY, ENVY, ENVY, ENVY, ENVY, ENVY… -cough-

**brasskix$$** YAY, IBRUPROFEN!

**Chie:** -nosebleed- …Longest review FUCKING EVER!

Okay, for the questions, typing fast? Uhm…experience! You have NO idea how much I have typed on a freaking keyboard my whole god damn life. Usually I only read through one time, because I'm way too eager to wait posting it, AND I'm way to lazy reading the same stuff twice! Yep, sloth stays! And trust me, soon Kakashi gets involved pretty badly too, and Sakura doesn't even know about him and her connected too.. heh.. I'm just so evil to her. And she's just so naïve.

Want action. Here, in this damn chapter you got some! And hopefully you understood why Itachi hesitated doing anything to her. Right?

OC'ness? Yep I know, but some scenes just require that, and who says the characters can't develop? Hehe…

And yes, there are MANY Akatsuki, but you must remember, that I mentioned earlier, all of them are off on missions at this time, and as you could see, two new Akatsukies arrives this time and the others are on their way!

-sighs- And no…No sasori, deidara and the fly-trap-kun…I'm sorry to say I know SHIT about them, only having seen the anime, which I had to DOWNLOAD from the net, since in Denmark they show SHIT concerning Naruto! So…nope… I cant risk doing them, since I know NOTHING about them and could make them complete OC's to their own characters.

And Sakura's hint for genjutsu? Hm… I never thought of Itachi tutoring her, but then…maybe…

**Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie:** Jealousy, envy…YOU STILL GET COOKIE!

**La-Garce-Fille**: 80 FUCKING QUESTIONS? –faints-

**ItachiFreak**And you get COOKIE TOO! I think greed is also acceptable, so COOKIE FOR YOU!

**K. Lynn Smith**: -sighs- Now I found the time to update! ­

Yay, you my true friend! –hugs KLS-

**XUchihaSerenaX**: Heh, I love long reviews so you can blabber all you want, and thanks for recommending me…I feel really honoured by that fact. YAY, FAVORITE! THANKIES! Oh and for the seal-thing you're welcome!

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including**Moon Phases****, Amanda, ****WeakendSoul****, sara, ****miaka54321****, Kasumi shino, Atayla the Maiden of Darkness, ****Rhonda21****LunaGoddessOf Foxes****Monkeyluv4646****Itachi's-Gurl41****kaitou angel****EnV****Kirdari****BlueKanji****GaaraRules****, ireney, ****Hao'sAnjul****A.B34UT1FUL-Lie****, laffytaffyyy, ****animemistress419****Truth or Desire****fantasy4luvr****Ranna-chan****ItaItaParadise****1taCh1's GuRLie****minicrouton86**)

**-Frozzy**


	10. The 7 Deadly Sins: Vanity – Pride

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

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Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

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**HELP PLEASE!**

I hope you guys wanna help me out a bit here. If you read this – and you're a reviewer – then I would appreciate if you would mention one random object, sentence or likely in your review.

-winks- Its gonna help me out a lot, AND I dare assume you guys will find it worth doing!

-cough-**Especially-if-you-look-at-my-profile-under-pending-projects-**cough-

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_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Ten: The 7 Deadly Sins: Vanity - Pride **

_Sakura, calm down and take a deep breath! He is **not **following you!_

She had expected Itachi to follow her, but strangely enough, he hadn't, although the sinister laugh – one she recognized from their previous and much earlier encounters – echoed in her thoughts, the way testosterone breathes for estrogen. Sakura shook her head furiously, and allowed herself to stop running.

Her lungs practically burned from lack of oxygen, and she panted desperately, leaning against the wall heavily, with a hand placed on her pounding chest. She scowled and furrowed her brows, brushing away strands of hair from her eyes. With a sigh, she leaned her head back against the wall, inhaling calm and deep breaths.

"Running away?"

Sakura gasped lightly and her jade eyes shot open to met with depthless and vivid sapphire ones. It would be an understatement to say, she was breathless. The man carried himself with such confidence and glory, that Sakura was temporarily blinded by his appearance. Pitch-black tresses of hair fell into his eyes in that casual manner, and those sapphire eyes could allure any woman into stage three of arousal.

_Itachi…Think **Itachi** damn it! _

Suddenly remembering she had no clue who this man was, Sakura immediately alerted herself and found the strength to glare warningly at him. He only seemed amused by that fact though, as if he could see straight through her false façade, which he probably could.

Sakura frowned: "Who are you?"

The man shrugged casually and took a long and elegant stride closer to her. She tensed, but he merely arched his brows at her in a suggestive manner and smirked politely, his straight and white teeth, blinding her even more, than the way he carried himself. He probably had to pry women off him with a crowbar. And the worst thing of all… he knew it oh so well himself.

"Hajo. Member of the Akatsuki. A pleasure to meet you," he greeted politely and inclined his head in a greeting.

_Womanizer_, Inner Sakura hissed and threw a broken piece of a plate after him, which _weirdly enough_ didn't hit him.

Sakura's eyes slid down his masculine form and sure enough, she realized he wore the trademark cloak; she had come to despise so much. Wrinkling her nose, she remembered her manners. With much effort she managed to put up a smile, and inclined her head as well: "Haruno Sakura and the pleasure's on mine!"

She pursed her lips though, as the man eyed her smugly.

"Not _totally_ blown I see," Hajo nodded at her, and Sakura didn't know whether to take offence by the fact, he had just plainly put her down, or if she should be grateful by the added ´totally´. He looked peaceful enough though without any glee in his eyes.

Due to that she forced a stiff smile to curve her lips; "I take that as a compliment sir."

"My apologies if it sounded like criticism," he smirked, making Sakura fume inwardly. He maybe did have good looks, but the personality following was rotten.

Growling Sakura pushed herself off the wall with a groan.

"What do you want?" she hissed lowly through gritted teeth, and ran a hand through her messy hair, feeling the sticky mass of pink locks. Grimacing she made a mental note, to bathe later on. Hajo laughed and took yet another step towards her. To be honest, Sakura felt slightly intimidated by now. This man just seemed to take away every fragment of confidence, she had left.

"You're quite famous within the Akatsuki you know," he stated casually and with a very much-practiced flick of his head, a tress of raven hair that had been hiding in the hollow of his eye, slid over to rest atop of his temple, with Sakura's eyes drawn to it.

Hajo smirked inwardly at the dazed expression on the kunoichi. He knew the effect; he had on most women, including some men much to his misfortune. He knew Itachi would skin him alive, if he found out, he was advancing his woman – which she in a way had become acknowledged as within the Akatsuki – but just a little taste of her couldn't upset him that much.

He could see her form tremble slightly.

"Don't come any closer," Sakura warned with a stern voice, her eyes narrowing into slits, reminding Hajo very much of a snake - he furrowed his brows – or Orochimaru. Sakura was breathing shallower than before. She couldn't believe this…this… _man_ was advancing her, knowing Itachi would probably eat him alive, if he ever were to find out. But then, that would just give a bit of his own medicine. Sakura smirked bitterly.

_And oh, how he **fucking** deserves that!_

Hajo eyed her carefully, his eyes never leaving hers.

"The pinkhaired female Itachi brought home," he drawled, as if he was chewing on the words. At that point, Sakura felt slightly uneasy. The glint in his eyes was everything but calming, and Sakura was sure, at some point, this was going to get very bad!

Especially if he kept taking those confident strides towards her, making her back into the wall out of fear.

"I said don't come any closer," she hissed and narrowed her eyes even more at him. He merely shrugged: "Then why don't you stop me!"

That was when slender and calloused fingers curled around her chin and lifted her face forcefully to meet his piercing eyes. He stared openly at her, his brows furrowed and his eyes burning passionately into hers. Sakura was horrified. Too horrified to even move or try angle her head away from his touch.

Her heart pounded wildly and her pulse drummed rhythmically in her ears, her eyes widening with fear and shock.

Realizing the only part of her body working properly was her mouth; it immediately came to the rescue.

"Get away from me," Sakura snarled lowly, "What are you doing- Get _off_ me!"

"Calm down now. Such a flawless face shouldn't frown like that," Hajo claimed, as he let go of her chin, sliding his hand along her jaw and upwards to cup her cheek. His thumb didn't stop though, but slid up her temple to then gently smoothen out the frown on her forehead. Losing herself in the soft and gentle touch, Sakura's eyelids battered softly, before her inner mind got in control once again.

_Haruno Sakura…You **whore**…_

Sakura's eyes shot open and with a loud cry, she shoved him off her.

"Don't touch me you bastard-"

The rest of her sharp words, drowned into his mouth, as his lips melted onto hers. Softly his teeth nibbled on her bottom lip, and in her cloudy haze, her lips parted from the brief touch. Warmth flooded through her body, as his tongue coaxed itself into her mouth. He was literally ravaging her mouth.

That was until he was roughly pushed away. Sakura blinked at the sudden loss of his lips against hers.

_What? What happened? Why did he…What... why…**damn**, Sakura what the **fuck** are you **thinking**? **Knee him in the balls**. NOW!_

Her mind kept rambling until it silenced, as it realized a few things.

A: Hajo was currently slammed into the wall, face contorted in pain  
B: He was being held up the air by a grip around his neck  
C: He was gagging desperately for air  
D: …Itachi  
E: Furious Itachi  
F: Furious _and_ pissed off Itachi

Heaven crashed on her, as she watched Itachi's face burning with sheer rage and hatred.

"Itachi," she gasped softly and the next thing she knew, cold lips pressed onto hers violently, their teeth connecting roughly. A cry left her mouth, as his tongue moved between her lips mercilessly, his mouth mingling brutally with hers, and his tongue literally choking her.

His teeth dug down her lip, biting it possessively with a growl. His hands slid up to her neck, curling around its slender length and tightening possessively. The other hand grasped her hip brutally, digging his fingers down into the soft and sensitive flesh covered by the cloak.

Fear and pain clouded her mind, as she desperately started struggling against his grip in panic. An anguished cry left her lips but drowned into his mouth. The grip around her throat tightened and panic arose even wilder inside of her.

Her motions and struggling were hit by panic, her whole body writhing.

She couldn't breathe.

She was panting with difficulty, her chest heaving with the rapid pounding of her heart and her pulse.

She _couldn't _breathe.

Her vision grew hazy and blurry, as his lips kept moving on hers mercilessly, biting down, and the metallic taste of blood were soon tormenting her senses, making her feel like vomiting. The grip around her throat cut of the air.

She tried to say his name. To struggle free one last time. Nevertheless, nothing helped.

A sudden flash of something blonde, and the shriek of a woman, mixed with the growl of yet another woman, and suddenly Itachi was shoved away, air filling her lungs once again.

Then…

Nothing…

(-)

"So its here?"

A frightened bird chirped and rushed into a bush, hiding amongst the leaves. Kakashi sent Naruto a glare, and he sheepishly scratched his neck in reply, shrugging. Sasuke shook his head and sighed lightly. Naruto just never learned to be silent when hiding.

It was just a Naruto-thing. Being on team with him, you soon learned that the word element of surprise was pretty much non-existent in the current vocabulary following the word mission.

"Yes Naruto," Kakashi sighed quietly, as he scanned the area, his forehead protector no longer skewed on his head, but placed the proper way, only covering his forehead, yet he kept his left eye closed.

"That bastard is going down-"

Kakashi grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt and got him propelled back on his butt. Sasuke rolled his eyes, yet his posture was stiff. No wonder though. It was hard for him ignoring the hatred and desire to kill his brother. He simply had to ignore it, if they were to rescue Sakura, and get her out of there.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. It was a bother though. That his brother was within reach, and they had the opportunity to get in there without being seen. He had all the odds on his side, but then somehow Sakura was more important than hatred and long awaited revenge right now.

Although they had their minds set on saving Sakura, they all knew too well it would be breaking the deal, and perhaps Sakura wouldn't even go with them, because of that deal. She was never one to break deals or promises, so why would she now? What was different?

Oh yeah, she was captured within a building with psychopathic killers.

Kakashi sent Naruto a glare; "Calm down Naruto. They'll notice far too easily, if we just barge in, and we can't be sure how many there are inside."

Naruto scowled. Always did he have to reason everything.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Sasuke asked calmly and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Kakashi let out a sigh. These last days had been hell. Without Sakura, this team was god damn immature. Not to mention rather stupid.

"There's a woman," Kakashi explained. Both Sasuke and Naruto stared ridiculously at Kakashi, but he ignored it for now. Naruto tilted his head and frowned; "A woman?"

Kakashi nodded; "She'll help us!"

"Who is she?" Sasuke asked flatly and arched one dark eyebrow. Kakashi frowned slightly and hesitated. Sasuke grabbed his kunai tightly and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Kakashi. Kakashi eyed the kunai and shook his head. Sasuke lowered it, yet holding it within reach. Naruto barely noticed what had just occurred. He was busy rubbing off some dirt from his knee.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head.

"Kaka-sensei?"

"She's nobody. She's going to help us," Kakashi waved off Naruto and stood up.

"How can you know-"

"Come on."

Without waiting for their reply, Kakashi took off, the other two frames following him closely. Kakashi closed his eyes for a brief second.

_Kiiran-chan…Please forgive us…But there's no other way…You wont be forgotten. We'll always remember you doing this for Sakura… and because of other reasons as well… As long as you just think…_

_...that another's freedom is worth sacrificing for…_

(-)

Slowly the blurry shapes of the room sharpened, as Sakura forced herself up on her elbows. Confusion was the only thing in her mind at that rate and the softness of her bed beneath her, only made it worse. She had been in a hallway? Right? Not… not her bed? Groaning Sakura raised a hand to rub the tension out of her left temple, and her eyes closed briskly with a tight force.

Her throat was dry and narrowed. She tried gulping down the dryness, but that only assaulted in a sharp tingling inside her throat, that made her eyes water by instinct. What was going on? Why was she so dizzy and why did her throat and chest ache that badly, not to forget why did her hip throb in pain?

She hadn't been sparring, had she? Did she stab her hip or something? What was going on here? She was sure, she hadn't sparred, but then what.

A sudden flash of memory rushed through her brain and her breath hitched in her throat.

_She **couldn't **breathe. _

_Her vision grew hazy and blurry, as his lips kept moving on hers mercilessly, biting down, and the metallic taste of blood were soon tormenting her senses, making her feel like vomiting. The grip around her throat cut of the air. _

_She tried to say his name. To struggle free one last time. Nevertheless, nothing helped. _

"Oh, you're awake," a rough feminine voice cut through the memory. Sakura twirled sharply in the bed and faced a blonde female, sitting on the windowsill peacefully with a kunai dangling loosely from her slender finger. For a second, fear washed over Sakura and being in this vulnerable state made her almost shriek out in fear, but then yet another flash rushed through her sleep-drugged mind.

_A sudden flash of something blonde, and the shriek of a woman, mixed with the growl of yet another woman, and Itachi was shoved away, air filling her lungs once again._

Sakura frowned, and bit her lip softly, tilting her head as well; "Who are you?"

Sakura let her eyes run down the woman. She had blonde curls framing in her incredible flawless face with the emerald eyes, almost similar to her own. There was a striking familiarity with her and Hajo, Sakura realized. Even the confident way she carried herself, as she rose from the sill elegantly, reminded Sakura of Hajo. Her frame was more petite though, but it surely wasn't a noble lady's body. It had a strong aura of strength, and she was a bit more muscled compared to other women…also ninjas.

It was apparent she was a woman of her own mind.

"I'm Chii, Hajo's cousin," she greeted without the politeness Hajo had shown Sakura. There was compassion in her though, and right now that was all Sakura needed in a person to trust said person.

"So you're-"

"Akatsuki? Yes," she interrupted flatly and came to sit down the bed, the kunai still dangling from her finger. She swirled it around carelessly with a casual grace, before she embedded it in the floor. Sakura stared mildly surprised at this woman's manly behavior, but to be honest she was quite used to manly behavior by now. Being on a team with only men and having spent countless days here only surrounded by men…and Kiiran, she was getting used to the amount of testosterone around her, and she was actually getting quite good at handling it…or so she thought…

_The rest of her sharp words, drowned into his mouth, as his lips melted onto hers. Softly his lips nibbled on her bottom lip, and in her cloudy haze, her lips parted from the brief touch. Warmth flooded through her body, as his tongue coaxed itself into her mouth. He was literally ravaging her mouth._

"What happened?" Sakura asked and blinked away some of the sleepiness. Chii looked at her casually, her eyes no longer expressing compassion, but were void of any emotion.

"You don't remember?" she asked plainly and flicked some of her curls over her shoulder with her fingers. Sakura bit her lips nervously, as the memories flooded back with even more strength and power than before, overwhelming her unprepared mind.

Slowly she slid out of the bed and staggered over to the bathroom. Chii followed closely behind, and Sakura was on the verge of snapping at her, when she came a bit too close and Sakura expected her to grab her elbow and steady her. Instead, Sakura ended up watching in shock, as Chii simply walked pass her and into the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub, patiently waiting for her to stumble into the cold room.

A slight smile passed Sakura's lips.

_She's…She understand me…_

Chii watched her stumble further into the room and steady herself with a hand on the sink. Sakura was out of breath by now, her body shuddering and threatening to collapse; yet, Chii did nothing about it. She sat still, letting Sakura fight her own battle and herself.

With a groan, Sakura managed to lean up the sink, and halfway noticed her cloak was no longer wrapping around her. It had been thrown somewhere in her room instead.

"Itachi?" she asked weakly, her voice slightly dry. Chii nodded.

"I shoved him off you," she reasoned and Sakura smiled faintly. Chii was a blonde-haired woman.

_A sudden flash of something blonde…_

"Don't let it bother you. He was just pissed off," Chii exclaimed and shrugged. Sakura nodded and examined herself in the mirror. The paleness of her face had never been worse now. When she started getting on missions, she had developed a nice faint tan due to the amount of time spent outside tracking and such, but now that had completely faded into her natural color, which to her misfortune was everything but tanned. It was awfully pale.

She let out a deep sigh and rested her forehead against the mirror. She knew it pissed him off, seeing her kiss Hajo. He must've felt the same way, she did, when she saw him kiss Kiiran. She felt a bit happy though, that she had probably inflicted him the same pain, but it was a bitter happiness. She had been scared of him. The way he has kissed her. So unemotional and brutal and rough. Without caring, it hurt her. He had been well on his way strangling her too.

It was suddenly clearly pictured in her mind, why so many people feared Itachi. This was the treatment, she would've gotten, if she hadn't been involved with this seal, and needed to get Kyuubi. What she had just seen was his real face. His violent temper and the real him. Not the façade he held up. Not even the façade of brutality he held up. His real person even worse than the façade.

He would've strangled her.

_Killed_ her!

A shudder ran down her spine. It was just… He had been neglecting the seal lately, and the desire for him only seemed to grow stronger inside her – inside the seal, which then sent the desire into her body and mind – and as things looked now, it wouldn't get better.

Hajo had just been there, and…he had offered himself…Plainly spoken though.

"I know, and I'm sorry but…I just felt…lacking…" she sighed, finally admitting it aloud to somebody. She had meant to tell Kiiran but…

It was stupid really. Sakura wanted to get back that friendship Kiiran had offered. She felt bad about, what she had said to Kiiran and honestly, she wanted them to be friends again.

"It's the seal darling. You need his touch," Chii explained casually. Sakura frowned, a bit surprised at how bluntly Chii put it. As if Sakura craved to be touched intimately every single second, but then at some point it was true. It just wasn't Sakura, but the seal!

"Yes, but he haven't touched it lately. Its like he had been neglecting it on purpose," Sakura murmured not really coherent enough to realise, she was practically whining. It wasn't left unnoticed by Chii though.

"Of course. Itachi is a man of honour," Chii shrugged. Sakura shook her head and tugged a strand of pink hair behind her ear; "Your point?"

She hadn't meant to sound rude, but the look on Chii's face, told her it had been just a little too carelessly said, than what she had meant to. Chii then sighed.

"Itachi has his pride. There is no way in the seven gates of hell, he will ever dishonour you. He may disrespect you, but he does that to everyone," she explained, as softly as she now could.

"So…but…"

"Sakura, no matter what Itachi will always-"

"He kissed me."

The second those words were said; Sakura felt the heavy burden wash over her and nausea surfaced. Within a single second, the warm sickening feeling rushed up her throat, and she lunged for the sink, turning on the water, and let go of the sticky mass.

Chii was at her side, standing up against the wall, no words or actions done by her, as she simply let Sakura do it herself.

Her ribcage hurt, as the pressure from inside her chest kept on pushing against her ribs.

As it finally seemed to reach an end, Chii finally did something. She grabbed a towel and threw it at Sakura. With much effort, Sakura managed to grab it, and immediately she began cleaning her mouth with fresh water, to get away the almost rotten and bitter taste in her mouth, then as the last effort, she dried her mouth with the towel.

"Who? Itachi? Darling we know-"

"No, not him…" Sakura interrupted Chii gently, as Chii finally began talking. An instant shadow crossed the woman's stunning features.

"You mean-"

"And he saw…" Sakura growled angrily and slammed the towel down the floor, as she smoothened her hair away from her face.

Chii frowned; "Is this why he has avoided you-"

"Like you said he's too proud to…" Sakura trailed off, her voice betraying her. Chii nodded and closed her eyes.

" To show he cares."

Sakura didn't respond. There was no need to. It was all said in the silence between the two women.

"He'll come to his senses sooner or later though."

With those words, Chii turned on her heel, preparing to leave the room. Instinctively Sakura shot out her hand and took a hold of her cloak. Chii looked down at the hand clutching her cloak and with a frown, she let her eyes lock with Sakura's. Two pair of unique jades clashing with each other.

"Thanks for shoving him off me," Sakura muttered, lowering her gaze and letting go of Chii's cloak. Chii hesitated. Then just as silently as Sakura, it came; "You're welcome."

Without another word said between the two, Chii left.

As the sound of the door closing reached Sakura, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her wrist hurt. Not physically. Mentally. Her eyes roamed the scars crossing her wrist in a brutal manner.

_Screw it all! This is not supposed to happen. What…What the **fuck** happened? And Kiiran…Damn, Kiiran…I didn't mean that shit I said!_

Her eyes stung with dry tears pleading to be shed. It was all so surreal. Did she care? Did that aching and throbbing feeling deep within the pit of her stomach try to tell her something? Tell her that she actually felt something? Could it be misery? Pain? Hurt? Anger? Hatred? Whatever it tried to tell her, it was bound to be negative. The smile was bitter, as the corners of her lips curved. Yet again she was unable to cry. Although her heart felt, as if it had been torn apart relentlessly and pierced with a spear only to be glued and sewed together awkwardly and misplaced, her tears were still dry.

Needless to say, she felt like shit.

Entering her room softly, she gave into it. Stumbling in desperation towards the bed, she shoved the pillow aside and revealed a razor-sharp kunai.

Drained for energy, she did the thing she had so desperately fought not to. As the cold metal impaled her flesh in a lovers caress, she didn't even cry.

Neither did she cry out in shock, as the door swung open and her eyes locked with mismatched ones.

…_Sen…Sensei?_

Everything inside her collapsed, and suddenly in front of her wasn't standing her teacher. Instead, there stood a silver-haired jounin, with his forehead protector placed properly on his head and the official ANBU uniform covering his masculine form, shadows gently falling onto the mask he always wore, which covered his nose and everything beneath it.

Sakura felt the small hairs on her neck stand on edge.

Something inside her stirred, and she couldn't tear her gaze away from his piercing one. Then much to her horrification, her cheeks flamed up and the familiar warmth rushed down to her thigh. Her body started quivering, and she was on the verge to simply and plainly faint. Since when had she felt uneasy in the presence of Hatake Kakashi? Her sensei through just how many years?

Her cheeks flamed even more, as she found herself thinking those thoughts, and then it finally clicked who the hell, she was thinking about, and she shook her head in sheer embarrassment and anger at herself and the path her thoughts had taken in those mind-shattering and pulse-beating seconds.

Sakura was practically paralyzed, until a second frame invaded her vision though, and a wave of coldness chilled down her body within the second their eyes broke the connection.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto literally yelled and jumped her, hugging her tightly. Sakura blinked in complete confusion and out of instinct, she hugged him as well, not really sensing whom it was.

Sasuke walked up beside Kakashi, "Sakura?"

Behind Sasuke and Kakashi a fourth frame stood. A woman with curly hair and blue eyes, hesitating with entering. Sakura watched in shock.

_Kiiran…_

However, before she was able to utter a single word, Naruto let her go and grinned widely at her.

"Sakura-chan we were so worried," he grinned cheerfully, and much to Sakura's surprise an almost faint smile tugged the corner of Sasuke's lips, as he nodded.

Although she wished to say anything to them, to say she was so happy to see them, to say she was honored they had come to rescue her, to say she appreciated their loyalty to her, to simply say she was glad they were here, then the only word that could slide pass her shocked lips, was the most unexpected one.

"Ka…Kakashi?"

As he acknowledged her, by locking their eyes, the ashes inside her, flamed up to a hungry fire. Sakura literally shoved Naruto aside, and before even thinking what the hell she was doing, she stumbled right into Kakashi, who grabbed her elbows to steady her. Behind her, she heard Naruto mumbling incoherent curses.

In her haze of warmth surging through her body with its source from the seal, she grinned impishly and before the startled Kakashi, could prevent it from happening, she had hooked her fingers inside his mask, pulling it down in one swift motion.

Everyone in the room went quiet.

That was until Sakura closed her eyes and licking her lips, she did what the voice inside her head urged her to do. She pressed her lips against his shyly. The soft brush of their lips was enough to satisfy some of the hunger inside her. A shiver ran up and down the length of her spine, and hesitatingly she pressed her lips firmer against his, desperately urging him to respond.

He was too stunned though, as he felt soft lips press against his own gently, almost shyly. Apparently, Itachi had neglected her lately, or more like neglected the seal and its need for attention, considering the way Sakura was now all over _him_.

Flushing at the fact he wasn't responding, Sakura did the only thing, she could. She pulled back. Her breathing had turned deep and her lips were dry. Her eyes rested everywhere but on him. The trembling in her hands, and the warmth radiating from her shivering form, humiliated her to no end.

Kakashi watched her, feeling the wave of sadness lingering to the end of the kiss.

Not really knowing why, he gently -but firmly- grabbed her chin and watching the shocked look on her face, he molded his lips to hers hungrily with a white-hot passion. Sakura gasped at the brutal attack from his lips, melting with hers. They moved hard and passionately over hers, forcing her own lips apart, to allow him entrance into the moist cavern of her mouth. Her fingers grabbed his hair, as a choked sound left her throat. Gradually it turned softer, almost tender, and Sakura felt her thigh ache and throb in the most sensuous and wonderful way. Hungrily his tongue coaxed hers to a sinful game and deepened the kiss. He let his tongue slide across the length of hers in one long and soft movement, making warm shivers appear all over her.

…_I'm kissing Kakashi-sensei… What the fuck am I **doing**?_

He let go of her lips, as the lack of air showed itself. Gasping for air, her eyes closed, as she leaned into him. Hurriedly he pulled back his mask, meanwhile supporting Sakura's numb body, as she snuggled into the comfort his own offered her.

The tension in the room had suddenly doubled.

(-)

With a feral growl, and the sound of the Mangekyou activating, Itachi paid to attention to the confused Kisame, as he knocked over the table, and rushed out of the room.

They were here. He growled once again, as he sped through the corridors. How did they enter without him knowing? How was it possible? He hadn't even sensed them nearing, and it was highly doubtful they were able to mask their chakra _that_ well. Shaking his head, he ignored the feeling of unease, as he turned a corner. He could feel Sakura's chakra enveloping his by now, indicating he was nearing her room.

Then it suddenly dawned upon him.

Kiiran… Traitor…

How foolish of her…

_Nobody_ beat Uchiha Itachi…

(-)

Sakura spun around in Kakashi's protective grip, as the door slammed open, revealing the only person, she last wanted to see. Her face went pale, and she desperately wriggled free from Kakashi's arms, eyeing Itachi with care. His posture was tense, anger radiating from his form in waves. His outside was calm and collected though. Note even his features showed a single sign on fury and rage. His eyes were blank. Void of any emotion, and oddly enough…that scared her even more, than if had they been glazed over with hatred.

"Itachi," Naruto growled and narrowed his eyes. Itachi ignored him and turned his gaze to Sakura, effectively paralyzing her. Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat in fear.

"I-Itachi… Please, the deal," she stammered with a shaky voice. A sinister smirk curved his lips, as he shook his head slowly and delicately. Then the next thing happening made Sakura go numb.

Within a second, his hand shot out and grabbed Kiiran's arm, pulling her to him. Sakura went stiff, as the flash of a memory haunted her mind, but what he did next, made her forget everything ever having happened between her and Kiiran.

"_I'm Kiiran. Nice to meet you!"_

"_Let me give this advice; obey him. You're in his territory"_

His hand encircled Kiiran's fragile and pale neck. Sakura felt someone grab her elbow and pull her back to her team, but her eyes were plastered to the hand around Kiiran's neck.

Then their eyes met. Sakura's wide and frightened, guilt swelling deep within, and Kiiran's… hollow, gentle but most of all…sad…

"_They don't treat us servants as well as you would think!"_

"_I think you're miscalculating the definition of _servant_. We're just… well, sex-toys!"_

Panicking at the darkness entering Itachi's eyes, Sakura frantically slapped away the hands trying to pull her back, her whole body shuddering with fear, but no sound leaving her dry lips. Her breathing was hectic, when she finally managed to pull free.

"_How did you end up here?"_

"_My family is, or _was _as far as I know, poor travelers. We lived with different caravans"_

"_Itachi-kun took me here, and well…"_

Her shaky hands grasped the kunai on the floor, her eyes never leaving the scene taking place before her very eyes. Behind her, she heard the yells of her teammates and the growls, but nothing slid pass the barrier of fear drumming painfully in her ear.

"_When you're first tangled in it, you can't untangle yourself quite as easily again."_

Kiiran was watching her silently, eyes blurry and hollow.

"_Sakura… I don't want you to be here."_

"_Excuse me?"_

A kunai was thrown at Itachi, probably Naruto's, but Itachi merely dodged it, never removing his hand from Kiiran's neck.

"_Sakura, where are you going? I swear, I didn't mean for that to happen."_

"_As if you didn't want it to happen."_

Sakura grit her teeth. She was so stupid. So damn foolish and childish saying those things.

"_His whore? No, I'm not"_

Sakura closed her eyes tightly. Stupid.

"_Sure it isn't Kiiran-chan, we're friends now"_

"_Yes… Friends… "_

Friends…

Sakura's eyes shot open and connected with Kiiran's. A sad smile was on Kiiran's lips.

"…_After all that's what whores do right?"_

Please…

Yet another kunai was thrown and pierced into the wood of the wall, but Sakura didn't sense it. She only heard as those sad and hollow words as they left Kiiran's lips.

"Sakura… I'm sorry."

Kiiran's eyes shimmered with tears, but she forced them back, as she looked at Sakura with forgiveness in her eyes.

Then… It was over.

The soft crack, caused by Itachi's hand tightening echoed in Sakura's ears, as Kiiran's eyes turned hollow, her body falling numbly to the floor with a heavy bump. A lonely curl slid down her forehead and covered her right eye, the tear never having been shed, softly sliding down her right cheek, colliding with the harsh floor.

_"You couldn't bear if he accidentally slipped into somebody else could you?"_

Sakura didn't sense the pain in her kneecaps, as she fell to the floor, her eyes numb and cold. She couldn't move.

Neither could she hear the outraged yells of her teammates, as Naruto and Sasuke jumped Itachi, only to be kicked back.

_Forgive me Kiiran…_

Far away, Sakura sensed Kakashi grabbed her and softly pulled her to him, and then four of them disappeared in the blink of an eye out into the night through the window.

As Sakura felt the wind whip her face, and snuggled into the warmth of Kakashi, she realized they had left the headquarters. She had broken the deal. But somehow…that didn't matter anymore.

…_sorry…_

Sakura closed her eyes, her mind finally admitting what her lips could not. Her hand clenched until her knuckles went white.

_I'm sorry too Kiiran._

Her hand fell numbly down her lap.

…_That I can't cry…

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_

**A/N:** …………..Well….Then it got serious… 

And FINALLY action AND KakaSaku arrives in one whole package, huh?

AND NO CLIFFY, though I was tempted when Team 7 arrived, but nah! Not even I'm that evil!

Oh and I killed Kiiran. Now some people are really happy, huh? And how come Kakashi know about Kiiran? And got in contact with her? O.O

I hope you guys are sad! I killed Kiiran, when I didn't even want to!

And I jut realized that **"Gone" – by Kelly Clarkson**, is pretty much describing the life of Sasuke and Sakura, if Sasuke went back to Konoha!

**

* * *

**

Candy:

Yep, not cookies, but candy this time! .

**kaitou angel****Hitaru****, Jade09, ****Rhonda21****animeaddict99****Nekio-chan****MerodiPansa****Miakoda13****miaka54321****Moon Phases****, chie, ****Lady Jaja****aoiroke-chan****La-Garce-Fille****BlueKanji****, laffytaffyyy, ****Grains of the past****SatuAka****K. Lynn Smith****Itaka****, 4nita, brasskix $$, Firefox,

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**

**Preview Of Chapter 11:**

_(Guess the sin once again, but it's HARD this time, so IF you guess, you get a VER SPECIAL something)_

"As you see Sakura, she has been though the same thing, and she knew how it was! That was why she agreed doing what she did!"

"What do you mean Kaka-sensei?"

"She sacrificed herself for Sakura's freedom!"

"Sakura?"

"Are you okay?"

"In other words…I killed her!"

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**Review Responses:**

**selle18** UHAHAHA, you got your lovely KakaSaku in this chapter? So, was it good enough? Not too slow? Not to fast done? Tell me! Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top then?

**kaitou angel** Hehe… Itachi was laughing in the end because he is such a sinister jerk! I just felt like pointing that out, since he still gotta be in character and lately he hasn't been that much sooo…

**CHICA DE LA LUNA FANTASMA**: Yep yep, a little huge bit of Kakashi as well, so here goes your third favorite! I like Neji too, but not so much that I would dare write him. Then I stick with my lovely Ita-kun!

Yay! –hugs Itachi-

**Akkirako Chikuro:** AKKI-CHI! So cute!

Yeah, that is pretty much why. Itachi is drawn to Sakura's defiance and stubbornness because so few persons dare stand up against him, and even fewer women dares. They would turn into mush at his feet, if you get what I mean!

Cookie? SURE! –hands over cookie-

Longest review my ass! O.O

Wow, you like my pacing? Well thanks, usually I think myself I make the pacing too slow in my stories but oh well! If others thinks it's good!Hehe, I have a stupid kind of humour, and usually I only put it in, when it's meant ironically, but then it always ends up being funny instead of ironic.

The pairing IS ItaSaku

Yep, I like her! Go CLARKSON!

**Hitaru** YEP, caught romantically! Hehe…

**animeaddict99** O.O

…  
…  
…

20 Meters AT LEAST!

**Miakoda13** I'm so sorry! –hands over handkerchief- Don't cry!

Dreams? O.O WTF?

YAY! YOU GUESSED IT! Hajo kissed her. And yes, Itachi saw it! Damn you good at guessing me story! I remember you guessed correctly other times too!

Trouble me! No! I like long reviews, so bring it on sucker! Hehe…

**ItaItaParadise**: So you don't get the meaning of the seal? Right then: here it goes!

Inside the scroll, there is fragments of Kyubis Chakra. Sakura os connected to that scroll because of her seal. If she gets too close to the scroll, kyubi will try and save her, by pulling her into it. Kyubi wants to save her because Naruto does, and they are connected.

When Sakura gets inside to the Kyubi-chakra inside the scroll, she gets to the place where Naruto first met Kyubi, inside himself. When she is in there Kyubi and Naruto aren't connected, so Kyubi isn't fond of Sakura.

Kyubi wants power, so it takes Sakura's chakra, and without her chakra she can't ever leave.

Sooo, you understand? I can always explain it again if it is!

**miaka54321** Hehe, yep my twin!

**The warmth of the Afterglow** Thanks for the awsomeness! –grabs the awsomeness- hehe

Pole-cat man…..X.X

**Fubuki:** ………You remind me of Chii and her fetish for sex..hehe…

**Jennjennr:** I know... Messed up the damn chapters. Blame it on the lack of sleep that day! YES, and you "guessed" the Hajo-Sakura-Itachi thing! Nope, just something the Akatsuki made up. I just like the idea of a scroll to speed up things.

The awkwardness with scenes? I think it just comes naturally. I have to be in the mood writing fluffy scenes, so it comes naturally when I am in the mood and the other way around when I'm not in the mood, when I have to force it out!

Just ignore commas. –looks around- I'm too lazy to read through my chapter AND fix commas. Hehe…I hate commas with a passion! And nope, no offence at all! I know my writing is not flawless!

**Chie: **Related to Kakashi, yep yep and yep. Its kinda hard controlling this fic, since half of my reviewers like Kakashi and half of them don't, so either way I'm pretty much disappointed one part of my reviewers in this chapter… hehe…

And about the thing with Itachi and forcing himself on Sakura, then you are pretty much right. I try to show his compassion for her, by making that whole thing you know. Him not wanted to force her into anything.

And yeah! I know those stories oh so well, and yes I do like them, but I hate writing the same as others. All that sorrow in Sakura and it makes her seem even more weak and such. I don't know, its just… I want my stories to stand out.

Yeah I know, I make Inner Sakura that way because Sakura herself is confused, and so her Inner mind kinda changes mood all together with her. You got your wish…I killed Kiiran and made Sakura sad. GRRR! hehe

Yep, he needs to drain the information from her and feed it to the scroll… Kinda bizarre actually..

Naruto will not be caught in the near future…Then I'm kinda ending the fic you see, so don't worry about that for now!

I'll try read it then! For your sake!

**YamiKitsuneKami** You like my OC's? –faints- Now I can die happy…

**Siy** Nope, you are absolutely right! –hands over a candle- Here, you get a nice candle from me!

**aoiroke-chan**I'm soooo glad you like this chapter! And the beginning. :D!

And trust me, Itachi is hooked!

**wynter89:** Its okay! As long as you have read it now:D

**DevilsLittleSister** Aw, you embarrass me! Its not that good…

**onyx-angel** Here is the KakaSaku! Hehe, all for YOU!

**K. Lynn Smith** You don't get a cookie, but you get CANDY!

**Heartless Ghost** Maybe they will, maybe not! hehe

**brasskix $$:** Nope, no info-gathering just yet, but its luring just behind the corner… as well as more "scenes" –smirks-

**Rising Pheonix** ………………………-runs away screaming- CHASE!

**Atayla the Maiden of Darkness:** Don't worry, people not liking your fic are jerks!

**Firefox:** With caught, I mean she's caught up in Itachi… hehe… Oh and you seriously know how to analyse my fic well!

**xXCrackRomanticXx** ……….Yay, I made you like ItaSaku! GO YOU!

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including**animemistress419****blackXheart****, EnV, Jade09, ****Rhonda21****, akasha, ****Nekio-chan, ****MerodiPansa****, viper, ****UchihaSakura87, ****Lady Jaja****, Eliza, ****FranWi, ****La-Garce-Fille****Monkeyluv4646****Itachi's-Gurl41****BlueKanji****, laffytaffyyy, ****Grains of the past, ****SatuAka, ****Pretear Fan, ****Gelayel****, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, ****A.B34UT1FUL-Lie****, moomoomoothegirl's back up, ****Itaka, ****blacksakura159, ****1taCh1's GuRLie, ****latoya****, 4nita, naruto fan, ****xXShadowedfateXx, ****sasusakunejitenten4eva, ****Midnight-Miko66****, Sadiztik Torture**)

**-Frozzy**


	11. The 7 Deadly Sins: Sloth

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

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**SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDDATE.**

AT THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END, YOU CAN SEE THE REASON

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_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Eleven: The 7 Deadly Sins: Sloth**

The mist clung to the moist ground, as several pairs of feet walked towards the little village in the horizon. The soft and soothing sound of droplets of rain falling gently onto the leaves above them mingled with the quiet sound of birds chirping in the late hours of the night.

Sakura was cradled in the arms of Kakashi, clinging onto him weakly, her head dangling from side to side, eventually finding rest onto his clothed chest. Occasionally a whimper would break through her pursed lips, and he would press her closer to him in comfort.

Naruto was walking closely beside them, eyeing her carefully with concern, though his eyes stored a darkness never having been there before. His body was stiff, and his posture as he walked was tense. The happy grin on his face was replaced with a light frown and narrowed eyes, his fists clenched. Sasuke on the other hand was walking a few feet behind, his eyes closed and his jaw tense. His whole body sending of an aura as strong as the purest acid.

Neither said a word.

Kakashi's face was cast in shadows, but had it been day and light wouldn't have abandoned earth, you could've seen the blank expression currently taking residence on his face.

"It's raining," Naruto suddenly stated flatly, his voice tense and thick. Kakashi barely acknowledged his student.

"I know an old lady in the village. She'll give us shelter for the night," he proclaimed stiffly. Naruto nodded, when Sasuke merely seemed to create more distance between him and the other three.

"Sasuke, you're falling behind," Kakashi claimed, and earned nothing but a silent grunt of approval from Sasuke, as he took a few more steps and ended up right behind them. Naruto looked down the ground, the frown still tugging at his forehead, and his lips pursed in thoughts. A bird chirped high above their head as it took off, the rustling of leaves echoing through the silence.

Sakura struggled to open her eyelids. "Sensei?"

Her voice came out dry and weak, and she inwardly cursed herself for being so pathetic right now. She blamed it on the shock of finally seeing the real Itachi. The cruel, sinister and sadistic Itachi. The cold-hearted one. The killer. The one everybody spoke of. Yes, finally she had seen him and she blamed her current state on that fact, though she knew… deep inside…

That was not the case. Something entirely else was.

"_Sure it isn't Kiiran-chan, we're friends now"_

"_Yes… Friends… "_

"Hm?" Kakashi asked, as he let his eyes roam over her face. Sakura parted her lips and let out an audible sigh. She furrowed her brows and closed her eyes in exhaustion. The deal… She had broken it.

"My legs are getting numb," she said softly. Kakashi simply nodded and adjusted her a bit differently in his arms.

"Better?" he asked gentler than before and looked down at her, his expression hidden in the dark, yet she could faintly draw the outline of his face, and the slight glistening of his one visible onyx eye. She shuddered.

"A little. It's cold," she added thoughtfully.

"I know."

"That old lady? Does she know we're coming?" Naruto asked tensely, his voice strained. Kakashi sighed. They were taking it better than he thought. Perhaps because he had explained the seal to them. If he hadn't and Sakura had jumped him, he would probably lie dead in the gutter by now. Castrated. They had surprised him a lot lately. They had shown more maturity than ever, and he was slightly proud they handled this mess so well. Especially Sasuke. Having been standing mere steps away from his revenge, his goal in life.

Apparently, he did value friends more, than what he was willing to admit.

"She knows. I sent her a letter," Kakashi explained shortly. Naruto looked at him confused.

"A letter?"

"Pakkun," he shrugged. Naruto, not knowing how to respond to that, looked at Sakura concernedly. Almost immediately, his eyes widened in anxiety, as he found her eyes closed and her body limp. Kakashi noticed and sent his student a smile.

"She's gonna be okay. Just exhausted," he said calmly and watched in amusement as Naruto relaxed. He nodded.

"Good. What are we going to do now?"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, first we have to ask Sakura why Itachi is so persistent on holding her captive, if she knows of course, and if she does, we will have to take it from there!"

A bitter snort was released behind them. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and waited for Sasuke to spit out what he undoubtedly would.

"The bastard wants Kyuubi," Sasuke spat repulsed, and crossed his arms over his chest, as if was he uneasy about it. Naruto was the one to gain shock instead of anger. His eyes widened to the size of plates, and his mouth fell open. He stared ridiculously at Sasuke, whose eyes were focused on the ground. Kakashi shook his head.

"Unfortunately that might be it Sasuke," he breathed softly, smiling gently as Sakura cuddled closer to him in her body's search for heat. Naruto noticed and a little frown replaced the shock on his face. Sasuke said nothing, if he noticed.

"How can he get Kyuubi? He's sealed inside me," Naruto reasoned weakly.

"I don't know Naruto. I suppose they might try unsealing it somehow, making you lose control and let Kyuubi take over your body. In that way they can capture the chakra of Kyuubi, but then this is just guesses. We don't know anything yet, and I doubt Sakura-"

"He wouldn't tell her," Sasuke interrupted harshly, his words cold and plain. Itachi would never tell Sakura. He may had taken a liking to her, Sasuke didn't doubt that, but he would never tell her deliberately what his plan involved. Itachi trusted nobody. Not even Kisame. It was highly doubtful he would even consider trusting anybody at all. Only if it was truly needed.

"You don't know that," Naruto claimed stubbornly, but was silenced by a look from Kakashi.

The rest of the trip to the village was walked in silence

(-)

Sakura gratefully welcomed the cup of warm tea being placed in her hands. She was wrapped into several thick and slightly scratchy blankets, sitting in front of a fireplace, flames sensually, even erotically, licking out the essence of the dry wood. Her eyes were blurry, her body practically jelly and her face lifeless.

The same scene kept playing over and over in her mind. The elegant flick of his wrist. The splash of blood. The paleness of eyes. That one lock of hair. The hollow sound of something lifeless hitting the floor.

It was horrible. She hadn't known whether to actually look or look away the moment it happened, but she had no choice. She had been stupefied. Her whole body had gone numb and didn't obey what her mind had yelled at her. What her heart had told her to do. What her very should had urged her to do.

But what had she done?

She had looked.

The one thing she shouldn't have done. If she hadn't done it, she wouldn't sit there now, remembering how the warmth left those familiar eyes. How a spear had pierced her life. How it had ended everything she had left.

Her life.

She had been so stupid. Acting so mature and proud, when she really was afraid of... She hadn't had to guts to apologise to her, and tell her the truth. But it was still written in her mind with big, fat and bold letters: ´Losing their friendship´. She hadn't feared Kiiran getting Itachi. It wasn't jealousy. Or the thing called envy. Not at all. She had simply feared losing Kiiran. And now…

She had…

A light blush made it's way onto her cheeks. She had kissed him. She had kissed her sensei, regardless of the issues it would cause later on. But then, it hadn't been her fault. Well, at least not all of it had been. If Itachi just hadn't neglected her, the seal wouldn't have reached out for Kakashi-sensei, and she wouldn't have kissed him in front of Naruto and Sasuke-kun. That was the most humiliating part.

"Sakura, eat. You need to gain weight," Kakashi's smooth voice interrupted her train of thoughts. She blinked and sure enough, the elderly lady, who had offered them shelter for the night, placed a bowl of warm soup right in front of her nose. Apparently, she somehow knew Kakashi.

"I'm not hungry," she pouted and tugged the sheets tighter around herself. It wasn't cold, but her body seemed to have lost all its heat.

Naruto looked at her with concern, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Sakura-chan, you _are _rather skinny," he mumbled hesitantly, as if fearing her wrath. She _did_ send him a scolding glare, although it was far from being angry. Sasuke eyed her coldly. He hadn't spoken to her nicely, since she got back, but more importantly, she hadn't tried talking to him either, knowing perfectly well how it would turn out in the end.

"I'm not hungry," she muttered and shook her head at the soup, wrinkling her nose at it. Kakashi sent her a dry glare, clearly telling her she was pushing the limit, as well as his patience.

"Sakura. Eat."

She shook her head defiantly. It wasn't that she wasn't hungry, she actually was, but she just felt like teasing him, wanted to feel his wrath upon her for some reason. Maybe to forget what she had done to him only hours earlier. To make him angry with her, so she would have other things to worry about having occurred between the two of them.

She smirked bitterly. Life was a cruel thing, and so was fate.

"No," she retorted flatly and closed her eyes, cuddling into the chair.

"Sakura-" Naruto tried, but was cut off rudely by Kakashi.

"I don't want to force you to eat, Sakura," he said sternly with a sharp voice. She was playing with fire, but somehow she just loved it. She loved the thrill of it. She enjoyed finally being back with her team, but most of all she enjoyed being able to quarrel with her sensei. He was so damn fun making annoyed. Mostly because it was rare he lost his patience, but Sakura had eventually mastered the act known as "getting down the Copy Ninja", and fortunately she was the only one having mastered that tremendous act.

Sighing dramatically, she picked up the spoon and dug deep down into the soup. Slowly she raised it to her lips, sipping the warm liquid into her mouth agonizingly slowly. Kakashi raised one eyebrow.

"Finish the bowl," he ordered, but she simply shook her head.

"Sakura-"

"I'm tired," she quickly cut him of, earning a wicked grin from Naruto, finally having seemed to understand what she was doing. He had always been the one to support her concerning this, but then him being a former prankster, it was pretty much obvious he wouldn't be against it in the least. Sasuke…Well, with him she never knew.

"You have to eat the bowl," Kakashi said patiently, his voice slightly unsteady, and a light growl followed the words.

She shook her head, smirking. Kakashi sighed, and shook his head. Well, he better had to get this over with. The faster it was said, the faster she would get over it. For Naruto and Sasuke. It didn't really matter. The knew half of it anyway.

"Kiiran has the same seal as you Sakura. But more importantly, I'm the one she had it with."

She _literally_ stopped breathing, even though he simply continued mercilessly.

"That's how I was able to persuade her to help us. As you probably know Sakura, she and I can talk together in our minds over distances. Just like you and Itachi. So, as you see Sakura, she has been though the same thing, and she knew how it was! That was why she agreed doing what she did," he explained shortly.

Sakura was stunned into silence. She could only watch in complete shock, her body cold and numb, her eyes blank and void of any motion currently running through her bones, making her entire body tremble with realisation.

Naruto frowned and tilted his head, looking at Kakashi, who purposely avoided casting a glance towards Sakura's direction.

"What do you mean Kaka-sensei?" Naruto asked and furrowed his brows in the childish act of confusion. Sakura was blinking rapidly by now, her breathing unsteady and shallow. Sasuke's eyes glued to her, as if she was going to black out any second, and then he could smirk that famous I-knew-she-was-weak smirk, he always wore around her.

"She sacrificed herself for Sakura's freedom," Kakashi said softly, his eyes locking with Sakura's.

"Sakura?"

"Are you okay?" Naruto took over and leaned forward to take a better look at her. Her eyes were blank and her face paler than usual. Her voice was flat and monotone, as she finally decided to speak.

"In other words…I killed her."

There was no sound after those words. Only a silence as dead as the grave.

Then, her sensei's voice mingled with the silence.

"No, you did not. She suffered under knowing how being caged inside a trap, you can never escape, though of course as time went by, the seal got useless the more time we spent away from each other, meaning her body lost its sexual urges. In other words, the need for sexual acts simply disappeared."

"_Sakura, where are you going? I swear, I didn't mean for that to happen."_

"_Oh what? Did I touch a sore spot? Do you fear Itachi might forget you and turn attention upon somebody else? Huh? Do you fear him just using you? Like some fuck-doll,"_

"_What is wrong with you-"_

"_Wrong? You know what Kiiran? You are so incredibly naïve to think, I don't know what you're doing! You couldn't bear if he accidentally slipped into somebody else could you? You keep talk to me about avoiding him, but why don't you just do it yourself?"_

"So whatever you saw, Sakura, between her and Itachi …it was purely him! She wanted me to say that to you, to make you feel better about him."

"_You're jealous."_

"_I thought you found me repulsive Sakura-chan,"_

"_Am I only allowed to satisfy my needs in you, kunoichi?"_

"_I am the predator Sakura. A territorial predator."_

The sudden flash of something black and blue standing up roughly, made Sakura jerk back to reality, her eyes landing upon a furious Sasuke, having his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed at his unaffected sensei, watching him in boredom with his one visible eye.

"Feel better about him?" Sasuke spat with venom. Kakashi shrugged him off, with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Sasuke, now is not the time"

Sakura frowned, her eyes narrowing. What did they think of her? That she enjoyed what that bastard had done to her? That she enjoyed what he had to do in order to complete the deal? What the heck he was planning on doing? The way he toyed with her, both emotionally and mentally.

Did they think she fucking enjoyed him?

_Am I really that much of a freaking **slut**? What the hell am I to them? _Inner Sakura shrieked angrily and balled her fists. And for the second time within 24 hours, Sakura agreed with her inner mind.

She stood up as well, although she did it slowly and securely, making sure everybody's eyes were trained on her. Then she shook her head bitterly.

"No, Sasuke is right. Why would I feel-"

"Sakura…", Kakashi muttered, his voice plain, "don't say what you're going to regret."

_Regret? What the fuck does he mean? I'm not going to regret anything. Could it be…Holy shit! Is he saying…That I feel something for…Itachi?_

Slowly… she left the room.

(-)

"Oh shut up," Chii hissed at the two bickering males. Kisame shot her a dark look and Hajo elbowed his cousin in the ribs. Itachi watched them continue their fight, Chii now engaged heatedly in it as well, with little interest. His thoughts were focused on the now broken deal, but just as much on her. On her soft lips, her supple body, her pink hair… her jade eyes…

He shook his head. He had to be stern. Had to remember what this was about. This was about a broken promise, a broken deal. She had betrayed her part, and he was now allowed to betray his, meaning… he was allowed to kill in order to get her.

He smirked coldly. Only made it much easier.

"Look, we need to get that damn information. The scroll is getting-"

"Oh, calm down. In time Itachi-san will feed it!"

"We _have_ no time!"

Itachi ignored the heated voices in the background and stayed to his thoughts. He was confused. It would be a lie to say, he was sad, but something in his chest ached. A hollow space, for lack of better non-poetic term, had been there ever since she had left. A throbbing. Aching. Itching. Something that clawed his body from the inside and out, trying to break through his skin and bones in its hunger for daylight.

He didn't _care_ for her. He didn't _like_ her.

Those same sentences were carved into his brain, allowing him to think of that and only that. So foolish of him. Letting her go like that.

It had been Kiiran's fault. She had betrayed him, by helping the kunoichi to escape. And he who had taken her under his care and fed her, actually having cared the slightest for her. She had thrown that trust down the sink in betraying him so forcefully. And she had suffered.

He smirked bitterly. She had it coming to her.

At that time, it had been thrilling seeing the shock in Sakura's eyes. Seeing that she finally understood what he was. A killer. A merciless one. But now…that thrill was an itching worry.

Was it now impossible to fulfil the deal with her maybe hating, even fearing, him? Fulfilling the careless promise, they had made?

Someone was bound to be hurt eventually. He had just no expected it to be the both of them…Yes, there! He had admitted it! It had struck him hard, that she had left.

But then…Only made it much funnier, getting her back.

Besides, he still had to toy with that traitorous little inner mind of hers.

He smirked. Oh yes. This was going to be fun.

Slowly, he stood up from his position in the chair. Three pairs of eyes swept across the room to lock onto his moving form.

"Itachi-san?"

Without a word, Itachi took off out into the early morning, following the trail of chakra of a certain pink-haired kunoichi.

(-)

She sat snuggling up against the wall to the house, a thick blanket curled around her body. Her eyes were closed, as if had weight been applied to them in the shape of a heavy burden. She looked almost ethereal in the grace of her sleep. Her breathing was soft and audible, almost like the quiet, little pants from a newborn baby.

Itachi smirked, hovering above her petite frame and watching her intently. She looked so fragile in her sleep. She had done that back at home as well, but that had often been a restless sleep, where she would wriggle and squirm around, but this was a peaceful sleep. One where her body was completely numb and completely relaxed.

He had followed her trail of chakra through the forest, and even though it was faint, due to having been masked, they had _still_ underestimated him. One can never mask his chakra completely. There will always be a little something left, it was just very few people being able to sense that little amount left behind. But luckily….he could…which had helped him many times in the past as well as it had helped him right now.

Ever so softly, he reached out and tugged a strand of pastel hair behind her left ear. She stirred a little in her sleep, but calmed down eventually.

Smirking darkly, he leaned forward, his lips close to her ear.

"Time to wake up, little kunoichi," he whispered softly and nuzzled her ear with his nose. A small whimper left Sakura's lips, and she turned her head to the other side, hugging the blanket tighter. Itachi watched her in amusement, waiting until she had settled down once more.

Inching towards her, he decided he had waited long enough. Nibbling at the corner of her lips, he smirked, as she parted them instinctively.

Another thing he liked about the human. When in sleep it reacted on instinct and desire. Nothing rational mixed with the human's actions. It was purely instinct.

"Kunoichi," he breathed gently and couldn't help but smirk even more, as she mewled softly and her lips searched for his.

"Sakura-chan, you need to wake up," he spoke against her lips. She only kept mewling and Itachi decided it was enough. With a dark smirk, he leaned forward and bit her bottom lip harshly.

Sakura was literally in heaven. Her entire body flooded with warmth and lightness. She could sense soft whispers far away, but she was far too drugged to take any serious notice of them.

….At least until a sharp pain jolted right through her lip.

Her eyes shot open and she blinked wildly, forcing her vision to stop being blurry and instead focus, although when they did focus, they landed on the very essence of her fear.

"I-Itachi," she whispered shocked, her voice wavering with panic. In front of her sat Itachi on his knees, his hands placed on the wall she was pinned up against and effectively caging her. Sakura flushed a terrible shade of crimson, and tried to no avail hiding it. Being this close to him, in his supreme proximity after he had been neglecting her, made the seal swirl warmth through her entire body and it was as if her nether regions literally swelled with the force of warmth mingling down there.

"You broke the deal," he stated flatly, his eyes watching her without any mercy at all, without any of the usual lust in them. Sakura trembled, her mind still sleep-drugged. Shaking her head, she watched him with her eyes wide with fear.

"I-I didn't. They came for me. I-I didn't know," she stuttered frantically, her body flinching on its own accord, as he smirked coldly.

_Oh shit. He's gonna kill me. He's **so much** gonna kill me. _

"You're afraid of me," he claimed. Bewildered Sakura flushed even more.

_Oh **fuck**. Stop reacting to him you silly jerk! It's not making things any better._

"Makes it all the more fun then. Now tell me kunoichi, why would you suddenly be afraid of me? I remember you being fierce and angry, when I would stay this close to you. What has happened?"

He mocked her. She knew. And even worse, he knew why she was afraid of him. Without Sakura having noticed, Itachi had managed to lean forward.

"Everything with us is one step forward and two steps back, huh?" he whispered huskily into her ear, the smug smirk still plastered onto his lips. Sakura gasped softly and placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back in his original position.

She stiffened, afraid she might had pushed the limit, but he simply smirked knowingly at her.

_Damn! Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

"Get away from me," she mumbled weakly. Itachi smirked. The seal was too strong for her to fight. He could sense it. Her will to defeat him in this game, was far too weak.

She wanted him.

"You like the thrill of it though. You're flushed, your breathing is ragged, your eyes are glazed over, your body is warm and trembling, not to forget your heart is pounding deeply in your chest, your skin is glistening with sweat, and to think I yet have to deliberately _touch _you…" he trailed of with a smirk.

Sakura stared at him in shock, not believing what was happening. Her body was trembling with anticipation and warmth, and there was little she could do to prevent it, as Itachi leaned closer once again.

"You're not playing fair," Sakura reasoned desperately, all her anger washed away. Itachi only smirked and arched one elegantly shaped eyebrow.

"You know all of that and… I don't. I'm a vir-…. You're playing tricks with me," Sakura said accusingly and tried to fight down the blush on her cheeks.

_Oh shit, what the fuck did I just say! Why the hell did I say that? Why the hell am I playing this stupid game with him anyway? The other are only a few steps away from me, just yell Sakura. **Yell**!_

"Are you a virgin, kunoichi?" he whispered seductively in her ear. Sakura's world froze to a halt. She couldn't even respond. She could only place a shaky hand on his chest to push him away, though unfortunately at the feel of his muscles flexing beneath the palm of her hand, she turned into a puddle of fire at his feet.

A pathetic whimper left her lips, as she tried to block his words from reaching her.

_Haruno Sakura, get a grip! You are **not** one of those damn women kissing his feet, just to share a bed with him for one night!_

"I find the pure thought of being the first male to make her quiver and tremble at a single touch is arousing," he tenderly let out, "caressing and kissing her to find that that specific spot that makes her entire being quiver, that one spot she never knew of herself. To be her ever first lover, or however you prefer saying it, and be responsible for showing her that making love can be _intensely_ wonderful."

Itachi closed his eyes with a sigh. The passion in his words right now was to be blamed for the throbbing at the apex of her thighs.

"To hear when she moans your name in bliss, hearing your name roll of her lips in the most sensual and erotic way… It's addicting.," Itachi said huskily with his eyes still closed. That was until he opened them though and looked at her under the thick and dark eyelashes of his. He smirked at her, moving even closer, until the very point where she could feel his warm breath collide with the skin on her neck.

"You respond very easily to verbal seduction," he smirked and Sakura instantly went pale.

"Look, I don't know what you are doing or who you think you are, but you quit what you are doing right now," she stuttered, an unknown anger spreading through her like white-hot fire. How dared he play with her mind like that. Even though she of course was a virgin, it was still unfair to pull such tricks on her. She was even more vulnerable to it, when she _was _a virgin after all!

"Oh and why?" Itachi asked in mock disbelief. Sakura managed to glare at him without seeming too rude though. She didn't want him starting a battle with her. Slowly his hand went up to play with the lock of hair, and Sakura instantly alerted herself. He twirled the lock around one finger with sensual swirls.

"Be a slave to your desires Sakura," he whispered in her ear, causing her entire body to tremble with a foreign desire.

"Itachi," Sakura finally let out when he nibbled tenderly on her ear with his teeth. She cursed her weakness that moment. That damn weakness. She had to get away from him, or she was going to lose control. She really was.

"Stop it," she said breathlessly.

"Making you realise where you belong?" Itachi murmured into the hollow of her neck. Sakura tensed, her eyes wide with fear.

…_he's…right…_

"I need information Sakura! It was our deal, and you broke it," Itachi said calmly, his voice betraying the rage he felt inside. After all, it really wasn't her fault. She couldn't have known they would try _rescue_ her, although he had though them a bit smarter than that. It was clearly said in the deal, if it was broken, he didn't have to hold back in his lust to make them suffer a slow death whatsoever.

Sakura's mind was numbed by now, and she could only nod. Itachi watched her with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing is keeping me from killing your little friends right now," he added coldly, watching as fear washed over her frame. Not being able to stop herself, Sakura's hand shot up to grab the back of his neck in a pure reaction of fear. Her jade eyes were oddly blurry and confused. Itachi stared at her coolly, purposely not acknowledging the hand on his neck.

"Please…Don't…" Sakura pleaded weakly.

Itachi looked at her repulsed. She was so weak. So damn weak, but somehow…It didn't matter when it was her.

"Please Itachi… I'll…"

Just this once. Couldn't she be allowed to be selfish just this once? Closing her eyes, Sakura's head fell to her chest.

"…Let you get information for free."

Itachi stared at her. Simply stared, as she crumbled beneath his hands. As she finally gave up on her last pride and confessed her deepest sin.

_I'm done. I'm done fighting. Done fighting what I want. _

Watching her, Itachi then grasped his kunai in a tight grip and placed it at the top of the blanket. Slowly, almost tenderly, he cut through the thick fabric, creating a soft, yet oddly terrifying sound, as the tip of the kunai cut through the strings of the fabric.

She didn't fight him. Not anymore.

Shoving the blanket aside, Itachi slid an arm around her waist, pulling her flush with him. A soft gasp let her lips, and she shuddered lightly, as the calloused pads of his fingers slid up to her thigh, searching for that one spot aching so badly. His fingers connected with the seal, and Sakura's body went rigid in his grip.

"Relax," he breathed softly in her ear. Sakura was overwhelmed by his gentleness and it didn't make it any better that he was finally touching her, the way her body had longed for, for such a long time by now.

Gently drawing circles on the sensitive spot, Itachi nipped her ear suggestively, "tell me."

Sakura nodded dazedly and licked her lips.

"When Kyubi is released, it's because Naruto is overwhelmed by emotions. In most cases because someone he cares for and worries about is in danger or when he wants someone to understand him, or when he's reminded of his past," she managed to let out rather steadily and to her own surprise her voice hadn't even been that thick with arousal, as she had first assumed it to be.

Itachi smirked and licked the shell of her ear, feeling the information transferring from the seal to the scroll. That had to be enough. He had a reputation to uphold and the poor girl was literally sexually starved. The scroll was maybe important, but Sakura was too.

….Wait…What the _fuck _did he just think?

"Good girl. Now I think you deserve a little something for being such obedient," he proclaimed innocently. Sakura only whimpered in response. Itachi was grateful the girl hadn't changed her clothes yet. She was still in the cloak. If she had changed to her normal outfit when with Team 7, he would have problems getting where he wanted.

Sliding his fingers upwards to her hips, he tenderly started to trace patterns on her one hipbone. A hushed moan escaped her pursed lips. Sakura was unaware of the fact, she was grinding into him, following the motions of his hips and battling him for dominance, though Itachi was _quite _aware.

His fingers tugged at the cloak and soon it was shoved away, showing him a good amount of cleavage. He smirked. Another reason why he preferred her wearing Akatsuki clothes. Their shirts tended to be very low cut.

"The deal. Is it still on?" Sakura panted softly and placed a tender nip on his jaw. Itachi growled lightly and moved his head away from her lips, knowing he for sure would lose control, if she kept up grinding against him and add her mouth to the sensation.

She didn't deserve being taken on the ground…

…_What?_

"You broke it," Itachi muttered and bit her shoulder harshly, not paying attention to the small moan leaving her swollen lips. Her quivering fingers slid down his chest, desperately searching for something she knew to be warm and hard. She clutched at his cloak and with a few violent pulls, she managed to open it clumsily. Without any hesitation she slid her hand under the hem of his shirt.

A low growl left his lips, and he bit down once again on her shoulder, and then licked the sore spot as if to soothe the pain, which was slowly subsiding at the feel of his tongue.

Sakura tossed her head to the side and her small hand placed its palm flat on his toned stomach, feeling the hardness of muscles resting there. Flushing, she scratched her nails across those muscles and was rewarded with a hiss. Her hand was roughly removed; lips coaxing her mouth open in a brutal kiss of sheer and pure need.

Her breathing was shallow, yet deep, as she fought to control her body. His lips slid down to her collarbone, nipping and nibbling eagerly, sucking as well. She arched her back and entangled her fingers in his raven locks, gently massaging his scalp with her fingers.

"Oh god Itachi," Sakura whispered, her lips dry with anticipation. Itachi smirked and eyed her shirt hungrily. That one had to go.

Grabbing his kunai, formerly having been placed on the ground, he nestled the tip at the collar of the shirt and with one elegant motion of his wrist, cut the offending material in two halves. Sakura flushed and looked at him in shock.

"You cut my shirt!"

"It had to go," he smirked at her obvious shock. Modesty overwhelmed her and Sakura quickly covered her chest with her hands, even though she still had her bra covering parts she certainly didn't want Itachi near.

"Don't deny yourself," he whispered huskily and smoothly in her ear. Giving her no time to reply, he skilfully unclasped the innocent and white cotton bra, not being rude enough to cut it like he had done with the shirt and cloak.

"_Itachi_," she gasped in sheer embarrassment, but he simply sent her a smirk.

"Get used to it," he replied smugly, eyeing her chest and inched forward too suddenly for her to do anything but gasp, as his warm lips closed around the hard peak tenderly. She suppressed the loud moan threatening to leave her lip in a cry of ecstasy. His lips began moulding the sensitive nub, Sakura's breath hitching in her throat.

"I-Itachi," she hissed shakily, "they're right inside. S-stop!"

"Then you better be quiet," he smirked and did nothing to stop the ministrations on her breast. He bit down harshly, causing Sakura to gasp in sudden pain, which quickly subsided as the licking took over the biting. Sakura whimpered and squirmed restlessly.

"Itachi…You say the deal is off, right?" she forced out of her numb lips. Itachi stopped for second, looking her in the eye, as she continued, giving him the ever first heart attack in his entire life.

"Would it be considered wrong if I asked you to take me with you?"

**

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I can't take all credit for this chapter! I got MAJOR inspiration from a talented writer on fictionpress. Name is Mistress 2! Go read her fics!

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**A/N:** ARGH, finally it's out. I'm terribly sorry it took so long, but as promised at the top of this chapter, I would explain why. I've been busy with homework and unfortunately exams are coming up in _one day_. I've been studying hard for the exams, and that's why my inspiration to write has been lacking lately, but now it's back and hopefully it will stay this time.

Anyway, I promised a friend: **Atayla the Maiden of Darkness **to get her more reviewers, so I highly recommend you guys to read her fic: **Meet your Match**.

And I got 75 review or something, do DO NOT get sad if I haven't answered your review. Seriously, it gives me headaches every time I get to the review responses area of my chapters. But** YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MENTIONED**. Maybe not in long review, but your name will always be mentioned if you have reviewed.

_**And look out for my ItaSaku oneshot!

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**_

**Cats:**

YAY, this time you guys get little kittens as rewards for guessing the sin!

Jade09, latoyakAze-RyUxXCrackRomanticXxEra-chanSatuAkaSeishi Sairensuno, laffytaffyyy, klafMidnightWolfeMoon Phasestheoneandonlydarkpowderpuff and jennjennr

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**Preview Of Chapter 12:  
**_(As usual, guess, guess, guess)_

"Just because I'm here, doesn't mean you have the right to be all over me!"

"You never complained before!"

"You never had your lips on my every fucking hour of the day before!"

"You like it!"

"That's not the point here. The point is I need to breathe and I can't, having your mouth ravishing my mouth all day long!"

"Dear kunoichi, if you wanted my mouth paying attention to other places, you could just have asked and I would gladly have taken it up to consideration!"

"I-Itachi!"

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**Review Responses:**

**XUchihaSakuraX**You sure had a lot of randomness. I like that! Go you! And even better, maybe that randomness will help me and my oneshot, so yay!

**kaitou angel**Ever forgive him? Well, the whole Kiiran thing wasn't that much in this chapter, but later it will. It's not just something Sakura'll forget that easily just by a few touches from him…

I know I for sure would –drool-

Ahem yeah…hehe…

**moomoomoothegirl** Thanks for randomness. I can always use a lot of that. It gives me inspiration, even though it's weird. Hehe, I guess that's just me in a nutshell. Plain weird and all and now I'm rambling, so I'll just shut up and say thanks once again!

**aoiroke-chan**Many guessed greed actually, and to be honest I had thought it to be that, but then I thought: Okay, sloth is the hardest one, so if I just get that one over with the rest will come smoothly and easily, and somehow sloth fit this, since Sakura gave up and finally gave into him. She was too lazy to fight him anymore. AND she was all depressed and down because Kiiran was killed soooo… I took my chance and picked sloth!

**Rhonda21** Hehe, and sorry for the cliffy this time. Poking Paluza? O.O

**La-Garce-Fille**YAY, YOU LIKED KIIRAN! THANK GOD! I liked her as well, I still do, but so many HATED her, that I had to kill her, because it annoyed my everyone said they hated her. I kinda meant for people to like her, because really she isn't bad at all, and YES! YOU LIKED HER!

LURVE YOU!

**rien mieux: **It's gonna be ItaSaku…Hehe, but with a little hint of KakaSaku, but STILL mostly ItaSaku.

**akashicrecord**Who is she going to end up with…MUAHAHAHA! You may never know…

**mina86: **YAY, finally someone who understands me and the lack of anime in some countries. Hehe…

**blackXheart**Help with the seal? Maybe he will, but not right now. Perhaps later on.

**The warmth of the Afterglow**: ………OO

**Sakura Moon** I'll think about that. If I feel like, I'll make an alternate ending-chapter then.

**Akkirako Chikuro**Yep, you can call me Frozzy!

-munches on the Butterscotch chocolate-

It's fun **_writing_** about her being molested by many men as well. Hehe, I love making her suffer. It's like writing down your own fantasy. Being fancied by three men! Ah… I unfortunately I can only imagine how that would be.

HAHA! Yep, Chii is REALLY beautiful and maybe her and Itachi will start something… Just kidding…hehe

And yes, you guessed right. He did go after Sakura, though she wasn't in Konoha, but still. This chapter would've been boring, if he hadn't gone after her you know.  
You'll get the flashback later! I promise. It didn't fit in this chapter. YES. IT IS THE SAME. I STUDY LIKE A MANIAC…hehe…

**BlueKanji** I kinda made Itachi kill Kiiran for that exact reason. Mu opinion is that even though Itachi maybe respect Sakura and like her etc. then he wont change his personality. He is still Uchiha Itachi, and there is an image following that name. An image you can't destroy by making hum all cuddly over one single girl.

I am? I never thought I was good a mixing in my own OC's. To be honest, I've never been flamed EVER, soo…hehe…

**xXCrackRomanticXx** Nope, it wont last long. Itachi'll come and get Sakura. I mean hey, if he didn't where would all the fun in this chapter be, huh? I have a rule: ALWAYS ITASAKU FLUFF in EACH chapter.

You see Kakashi the way I see him as well. I see him as the pervert of course, but that's just his outside. He is the one with the biggest morals, in my opinion, and he wouldn't ever do anything indecent like that, without feeling bad about it. Besides he's only a pervert, because other people had labelled him being it.

You are one of the two persons, seeing MY WHOLE DAMN CHAPTER SO WELL!

The thing with Itachi killing Sakura, yes I did make him do that, to break the haze you people must've been in. I mean, Uchiha Itachi. A very strong image follows that name and that image can't be destroyed by a simple girl. At least in my opinion. Besides, he's stronger than that. Mentally. And having lived a life like him for so long, it takes longer than a few weeks to make him change that drastically. I doubt he ever will actually.

AND ARGH! You are COMPLETELY RIGHT with the sloth-thing. It CREEPS ME OUT!

hehe…

**Seishi Sairensuno**Hehe, I'm glad you bothered to read it then.

**miaka54321** GRRRR, turning my review into an add…

**laffytaffyyy: **Through this whole fic, I have never made Sakrua cry, because she can't. She can't cry anymore because of all the things in her life and all that stuff. She cried so much in her youth, that now she simply can't feel enough to cry. She has forgotten how to. And then she's sorry, she can't cry because Kiiran was killed. She WANTS to cry, but she can't…

**Miakoda13**YAY FANART…COOL! GIVE ME MY LINK! AHHHH…hehe…

**Alysia: **Sensual mind? Hehehehehehe…hehe….he…Yeah…hehe…I JUST WANNA POINT OUT IT IS NOT EXPERIENCE! I've simply just read a lot, causing me to have such a sensual mind. And then I think I just have a thing for it or something. My teacher always say: "Halvdelen er ren øvelse, resten er evner"

Or translated into English: "Half of it is practice, the rest skills"

I KNOW! I'm lazy when it comes to grammar…hehe…

**reader17**Nope. Not a KakaSaku. Try find reread the time Kakashi explained the seal to Naruto and Sasuke, and then you'll understand…I'm sure of it!

**Atayla the Maiden of Darkness: **I put your story in my authors note… Why? YOU'RE MY FRIEND!

**Tsumii** Nope. Hajo is not dead and yes. He and Chii were those mysterious persons from earlier chapters. A lemon…Hehe…Not yet at least.

**Hatake Kayume**The producers of the anime would use my story? WOW! You like it that much! Cool! Thanks so much!

**selandora**: Yep, Kiiran had the seal as well... WITH KAKASHI!

**theoneandonlydarkpowderpuff** Of course I make Itachi go get her. I mean, where would all the fun and all the tension be if he didn't huh?

You give me way too many compliments. I'm not that good a writer, but thanks either way, if you really mean all that you said.

**Deathflight: **I'm from Denmark, so my native language is Danish. A complicated language for others to learn. Seriously. Hehe…

**Firefox: **You ALMOST convinced me to change the title to greed, but then I kinda saw connection between slut and the plot in this chapter, and then I thought: "Hey, sloth is the hardest one to make fit", and then I just grabbed the chance and took it instead.

And yes…

You must feel very stupid right now…BUT…Instead of a kitten, I'll give you a puppy…hehe…

**Jennjennr: **I'm really happy you like my OC's, both Chii and Hajo. They get a pretty big role in my story later on, so yeah..

I didn't put Naruto and Sasuke's reaction into words. It was more like the way they acted if you get me, though I think you do. You're a smart one!

Yeah, damn you being a grammar police…hehe… It's okay. I find many mistakes, when I reread my older chapters and I just wanna lay down an die. So humiliating. I just discovered that in one chapter I wrote simply, when it should've be simple… I was down for like…three seconds, but STILL!

**CHICA DE LA LUNA FANTASMA**It's cool! I'm sure I can use it AND I'll make sure to say it's yours…hehe…I can't claim something not being my own.

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(That includes: **SakuraHatake****, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, viper, ****Russian Princess****kAze-RyU****, Jade09, ****latoya****Siy****Gelayel****Heartless Ghost****silvya****, CelesPrye, ****9tailed-ramen****selle18****Itachi's-Gurl41****EnV****, Raven, Shade, ****ItaItaParadise****DevilsLittleSister****, zerowngs, ****Era-chan****Pretear Fan****SatuAka****, Eliza, ****animemistress419****Cyberwing****, Potato-sama, ****Anime and Manga Girls****itachisgirl101****Remus's Nymph****klaf****YamiKitsuneKami****MerodiPansa****1taCh1's GuRLie****, kahitsinona, naruto fan, ****A.B34UT1FUL-Lie****MidnightWolfe****GothMistress****, bells-and-whistles, ****snow-leopard-demon24****schmutziges Geheimnis****, Sadiztik Torture and darkchild)**

**-Frozzy**


	12. The 7 Deadly Sins: Gluttony

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

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_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Eleven: The 7 Deadly Sins: Gluttony**

Was it okay to feel like a traitor?

Was it okay to act ungratefully?

Was it okay to give a shit about morals whatsoever?

In this case…

Yes!

_Just perfect Sakura. You fucking begged the damn Uchiha-bastard to take you back with him. Talk about being **desperate**. Argh, get a damn life Sakura, or even better get a fucking brain!_

Choking her Inner mind with, literally, a brick made of concrete Sakura felt a satisfied smirk tug at the corners of her lips. Yes okay, she had been a fool pleading Uchiha Itachi to take her back to what supposedly was labeled as her personal ´hellhole´, but she had her honor, and it had been rudely cut off in tiny halves by the rescuing of her _life_. She should be head over heals that her team had bothered to rescue her, but it had been wrong.

They should trust and respect her enough to not just barge in and break a deal, she had agreed to, even _suggested_, herself. They were loyal, that was for sure, but they lacked in other departments. Like the common sense-department. Well, Kakashi didn't lack there, but he was probably just too concerned to leave her in the hands of Uchiha Itachi, cold-blooded killer and S-class criminal.

She didn't blame him or the boys though. They had done, what they had seen as the right thing, and unfortunately for her part, it had been the entirely wrong thing!

And one thing proved that more than any other thing.

The death of Kiiran.

_Damn Sakura! You said it yourself, do not think about that! _

Shaking her head, Sakura ignored the swelling bubble of sadness inside her stomach and concentrated on sharpening and cleaning her weapons.

She sat outside the Akatsuki headquarters. Itachi had taken her with him. Luckily.

"_Why?"_

"_I just…want to…"_

"_I have no reason to take you back. You broke the deal. I'm allowed to kill you as well as your pathetic friends and teammates!"_

"_Itachi…Please, just take me back with you."_

He hadn't answered her. He had simply taken off, with her in his arms, not even bothering to cover her up decently. She had hurried doing that though, both because of the cold and because of her flaming cheeks.

She wasn't sure, whether they were back on the deal, or if she had just given herself to him as his property, but frankly…she felt safe… A thing that scared her. She wasn't supposed to feel safe in the presence of Itachi, but in the presence of her friends, but somehow in her brain Itachi had been placed in between "friend" and "nemesis".

"What are you doing?"

Letting out a squeak of surprise, Sakura hissed, as she cut the pad of her index finger on the tip of the kunai, she was cleaning. Cursing the person having interrupted her, she quickly sucked away the blood and turned to face the person.

She was met with a pair of her own eyes and blonde, curly hair.

"Oh Chii! I didn't see you," Sakura spoke softly, all her rage gone. Chii shrugged and arched an eyebrow coyly.

"Sorry. Bad habit. Walking up on people like that," she excused and slung herself down on the ground beside Sakura.

"Don't worry, I'll live," she mumbled, a very vivid picture of a ramen-hyperactive Naruto appearing in her mind. Chii let her gaze wander down Sakura's form and ended upon the heavy metal chain attached mercilessly to her now sore ankle.

"Don't say it," Sakura hissed at her warningly, tugging at the heavy chain attached to her ankle. Her ankle hurt like a bitch by now, and the flesh was utterly sore and sensitive. He had chained her like some pet. The chain was attached to a wooden pole stuck deep down the ground and to add even further detail, the chain was strengthened with Itachi's chakra, as well was the pole, effectively preventing her from even trying to escape.

She felt like a dog. Maybe she had escaped once, but that gave him no right to literally chain her to the ground.

Chii smirked nastily and shrugged, as if it was to be expected Itachi would chain Sakura.

"So, I heard from Kisame you decided to go back here to fulfill the deal. Broken honor?"

Sakura kept tugging at the chain and frowned in distaste, as sharp pain pounded through her foot. The chain was too tight. With a groan, she gave up and restarted the cleaning of her weapons. When she had said, she wanted to clean her weapons out in the free, she hadn't expected him to chain her, nevertheless you would never be able to understand the mind of Uchiha Itachi.

"Pretty much. I'm trying to heal what little I have left," Sakura replied dryly with arched eyebrows. Muttering something incoherent, she ran a hand over her mouth and nose, rubbing back a sneeze.

"I'm sure Itachi is happy," Chii added casually, examining her nails and wrinkling her nose in displeasure.

_Probably forgot her **manicure**_, Inner Sakura spat sarcastically. Sakura wasn't fond of Chii, but somehow she could draw a bond between them. Somehow, it was as if Chii understood her better, than anyone ever had.

"Happy and Itachi is not quite the terms being used in the same sentence," Sakura retorted mildly and bit the nail on her thumb thoughtfully. Chii smirked and flicked a curl behind her shoulder.

"Whatever. Just don't get to attached to this place," she snorted and rolled her eyes upwards. Sakura shortly stopped biting her nail and instead jerked her attention upon Chii, who at the moment was busy inhaling the fresh scent of grass and sun.

"Why not?"

Chii laughed bitterly.

"This is only temporary. When the deal is fulfilled, he'll either let you go or keep you, and from earlier experience, Itachi's pets don't last long, being special or not," she practically mocked Sakura. Sakura placed her hand on the grass and dug her thumb down into the soft dirt.

"Pets?" she asked lowly, her palm itching to slap the female beside her. She remembered those words too well. It was the exact same thing having happened between Kiiran and her. Only in that point of view, Sakura would be Chii and pets would be _fuck-toys_! With a furious motion, Sakura whipped her head up and locked gazes with Chii.

Cold…undeniably cold…

"Whatever you prefer to call it," Chii hissed her eyes flashing for a moment, before she stood up and strode away proudly.

_Bitch…**fucking** bitch!_

"I see you don't go along well with my cousin?" a smooth voice joked behind her. She didn't even bother to turn around, since the person had already revealed its identity.

"Leave me alone Hajo," she spat, sharpening a shuriken frantically. She could literally feel his presence hovering above her, his breath playing with her locks of pink hair. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, as flashes of that night blitzed through her mind. To say she was simply frightened would be an understatement.

"Actually I had in mind paying you a little visit," he said smoothly in that soft voice of his. She willingly admitted he had certain charms and was practically flawless in both behavior and looks, but he had another personality as well. The arrogant, egoistical and spoiled kid.

Calming her irregular breathing, Sakura shrugged at him off-handedly, "I'm busy!"

He laughed. Short and cold.

Sakura let out a gasp, as his fingers buried themselves into her soft hair and forced her head back violently. Her fingers clumsily let go of the shuriken and it fell to the ground with a soft sound.

"Your hostility towards me is rare. Most people speak to me with respect," Hajo purred dangerously lowly into her ear. Biting the inside of her cheek harshly, Sakura fought down the tremble of fear.

"Most people treat me with respect," she hissed back, sitting immobile on the ground. She saw the darkening of his eyes and felt the tug at her hair grow in strength, and she swore, she could even hear the quickening of his heartbeat.

As everything was about to climax into a bloody mess, literally, the strangest thing happened.

"Hajo."

Sakura's eyes opened and fell onto the form of Kisame. To be quite honest, she was relieved to see him. They had never actually talked or anything. He had always kept a large distance between them, probably because he didn't want to get involved with Itachi, but at this moment, Sakura felt nothing but gratitude towards the violent shark-man.

"Kisame?" Hajo said politely, as he let go of Sakura. Her skull throbbed, where he had pulled her hair, as if her scalp had been shaved and then boiled.

"Itachi wants to speak with us. Now," Kisame hissed lowly, his eyes narrowed in anger. Hajo shrugged casually, and without a second glance at Sakura, he walked up to Kisame and the two of them left.

_Well, now it's obvious why they are twins_, Inner Sakura snorted, as Sakura rubbed her scalp tenderly.

_Bullshit!_

(-)

He felt like strangling them. Lately he had been pissed at everyone. He had read scrolls like a madman (**1**), to find out the benefits of the seal, and one particular benefit had simply pestered his mind ever since.

The telepathic bond between the seals.

He simply had to try it out, but he hadn't had time to do so… and this meeting only made it a lot worse, forcing him to sit down on a hard chair and go through facts, already known by all of them. But still, when the rest of the Akatsuki would arrive here, they had to know everything down to the single and last detail.

"So she gave you information?" Chii drawled lazily and drew patterns onto the wooden table with her kunai, regardless of it not being her property.

Itachi nodded tensely.

"But the scroll will at least be satisfied for now," Hajo added softly, his eyes following the motions of the kunai. Itachi glared at him, and Kisame shook his head.

"Chii, stop ruining the furniture," he demanded coldly, earning a sharp glare from Chii, but nevertheless she did stop. You would've thought, she would've ignored a command coming from Kisame, him not being the sharpest tool in the shed, but it did give some respect being the closest comrade of Uchiha Itachi, and to be honest the glare Itachi was giving her, scared the living hell out of her.

"I can't believe you actually chained her," Chii then smirked, as she gained back her confidence. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. Kisame let a small smirk grace his lips as well, but he knew instinctively that Itachi wouldn't be thinking very fondly of that act, so he quickly dismissed the smirk from his lips.

Hajo sent his cousin a warning glare, which she completely ignored.

"I had to," Itachi answered dryly.

"Well, she did escape last time but still… Its barbaric," Chii said softly, her personality having switched from a bitch to a caring mother. Itachi noticed. It was funny how that female changed from one personality to the other and unfortunately, it was often he, who had to suffer through that character shift.

"Then it must be barbaric. We need her," Itachi reasoned. Kisame nodded his approval of that.

"Whatever you say Itachi, but eventually she will lose her temper with you, if you keep on chaining her at every place, she goes to," Hajo spoke softly, his eyes oddly enough filled with concern. Within the Akatsuki Hajo had always been seen as the softhearted one, but in reality he wasn't. The others were just the coldhearted ones.

"She's breathing under a deal. It is to be expected," Itachi said coldly in a voice clearly telling this discussion had been taken too far for his liking.

"So, the deal is still on?" Hajo hesitated.

"Yes!"

"I suppose she's delighted that the safety of her team is still confirmed running," Chii added flatly.

"He didn't tell her," Kisame sighed. Chii's eyes widened in disbelief and her eyes flashed murderously, mimicking a mother bear protecting her cubs.

"You didn't tell her? So, the poor girl has to walk around in doubt of the safety of her team?" Chii said outraged. Hajo glared at her and sighed. She just never learned to cool down, when talking to Itachi. She was pretty much like the vivid little kunoichi in that department.

"Very well, you wont chain her forever will you?" Hajo asked and looked concerned at the fuming Chii, glaring heatedly at Itachi.

It wasn't healthy for the girl's ankle either, having such a heavy chain attached to it.

"She did show you loyalty by asking to come back and fulfill the deal," Chii pointed out coolly, obviously irritated with Itachi and his constant pride-complex. She wasn't fond of the Sakura-girl but she wasn't stupid enough to neglect the fact, Itachi was treating the girls like a damn pet.

"It was her honor," Itachi proclaimed in his usual monotone voice

"But _still_ Itachi, she also broke her honor by throwing _this_ offer so bluntly as a _make up_ deal. She seems rational. You're not exactly what she consider as a friend either!"

Itachi glared at Hajo. He didn't like him. Especially not after, he had played with _his _property. Itachi smirked slightly. Yes, Sakura was indeed his. Yet, Itachi wasn't a man to hold a grudge. He preferred action, although in this case he had done nothing so far.

"She needs to learn her place!"

"She wasn't running away willingly. Her team came and rescued her against her will. She had taken no part in that," Chii exclaimed, once again outraged.

Within a mere second, Itachi appeared behind her, his fingers digging down into her soft curls and ripping hair off her sore scalp, earning a loud cry from Chii. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the curls onto the top of her head, smirking.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing you brainless _bastard_," Chii practically spat out in a loud yell, but before she had any chance to act on the rage eating up her jade eyes, Hajo was holding her down the chair with much effort, his face grimacing at the violent curses leaving her mouth.

Itachi calmly sat down, his face showing nothing but satisfaction.

"I'm gonna get your fucking ass one day," Chii hissed with venom, shoving Hajo aside and clawing at the table, to literally crawl across it. Hajo grabbed her ankle and pulled her back with Kisame shoving her down on the chair by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Stop smirking you damn freaking moron," she snarled, Itachi merely smirking wider at her fruitless efforts on reaching him. If she did, she was dead meat.

Itachi decided to put an end to it.

"Kiiran took part in it!"

There was a short silence after that comment, cold as ice, coming from an unemotional Itachi and all of a sudden, Chii calmed down, Hajo sprawled across her lap. Kisame coughed awkwardly.

"Well, Kiiran obviously didn't tell Sakura," he reasoned weakly, though still in a loud and clear voice. Itachi didn't bother to acknowledge those words, but Hajo apparently did.

"How can you know that?"

"Hajo, if Kiiran had told Sakura, do you honestly think Sakura would've gone with her team? She was too shocked to act, because they actually did come to save her, when she had told them directly not to. If she knew, she would've been prepared, and wouldn't have gone with them! The fact she came back only shows how much more, she didn't want to break the deal and be seen as someone you can't trust, and someone who doesn't hold its promises," Chii reasoned business-like, her voice never faltering in its confidence and everything running out of her mouth like sand would run down a vertical paper.

"Chii's right. The shinobis of Konoha has always been very loyal. Itachi is a very strong example of that," Hajo added. All three of them nodded and turned their gazes towards Itachi, as if expecting him to be nodding in gratitude, but they ended up finding nothing but thin air.

"Itachi?"

(-)

"Why did you let her go with him?"

Kakashi sighed for the third time. Naruto had been a pestilence all day long. He didn't blame him. Being as immature as he was, in certain cases, he probably wouldn't understand this. Besides, him being loyal and overprotective to and of his friends, his fear was probably overshadowing all of his other senses.

"Naruto-"

"We could've stopped them, instead of _listening_!"

"Naruto-"

"She should be _here_! She can't go back there. How could you let her do-"

"It was her own choice!"

His voice was sharp and heavy, as if was it made of steel and the frosty tone instantly managed to shut up Naruto rather effectively. Kakashi raised his brows in a gesture of surprise and watched his black-haired former student.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked in confusion and tilted his head. Sasuke shook his head dismissively.

"She has a broken honor," he explained with a sigh, as if was it the simplest thing in the world. Kakashi smiled and nodded thoughtfully. At least one of them understood, why he had let Sakura leave and that he had stopped both of the boys from interfering the moment between Itachi and Sakura outside the house.

"Huh?"

Sasuke growled at his brainless teammate.

"It's a matter of pride. We did what _we_ wished to do, what our urges was and didn't think what consequences it would leave her with," Kakashi explained shortly. Naruto frowned thoughtfully and bit his lip.

"We can only watch and be sure she's treated well for now. She returned to him willingly this time, not because of a deal," Kakashi continued calmly. Sasuke watched him from beneath his bangs. He didn't trust him entirely on this matter. Not after what had happened between him and Sakura. It was still freshly painted in his mind. The horror. Shaking his head, Sasuke concentrated on what was taking place around him, trying not to dwell on what angered him the most.

"But-"

"No buts, Naruto! This is her choice, and this time we are _not_ in it! This time we're not supposed to protect her. She's on her own. Her own mission Naruto," Kakashi said sternly, his voice allowing no discussion.

"Mission?" Naruto asked hesitatingly.

Sasuke nodded to himself, the words escaping his mouth without his consent, "Mission to show her worth!"

(-)

"If this is they way he's gonna treat me from now on, I might as well just sleep with him and get it over with," Sakura hissed, as she punched her pillow for the third time. Grabbing the ends, she slammed it into the wall with a frustrated groan. Okay, she knew it was childish behavior, she was showing off me, but she really couldn't care less.

Shoving the pillow down on it's original place, she bit the nail on her thumb and stared at the window.

_Nightfall._

She brushed away strands of pink hair from her face and dried off her thumb on her cloak. Her shoulders were just as sore as her ankle. Sakura found it odd that the cloaks were that heavy. They had to be a burden in fights, but it was probably just a matter of getting used to them.

She snorted and looked at her thumb. On the other hand, maybe it was just a way of showing how strong the Akatsuki was.

Luckily, the chain had been taken off, the minute she stepped into her room, but unfortunately the door had been locked. So much for freedom.

Sitting down on the bed, Sakura let her fingers gently brush across the sore flesh on her ankle. She grimaced and shook her head. It was worse, than when she had trained all day under the command of a relentless ANBU-like Kakashi, sparing with Naruto and on occasion Sasuke. Those days, she came home with numb limbs and a headache as strong as an erupting volcano.

Those days compared to her ankle, as it was now… it was like comparing a baby to a tiger!

Her body tensed, as she heard the light click of a door unlocking and the following soft sound of a door closing.

"Is it sore?"

His voice fled straight to her ears, stroking them like soft velvet, and she was on the verge of letting out a soft purr. Now, she wasn't one to deny it, but the effect that smooth and deep voice had on her, made it much easier to suppress her throbbing ankle.

Shaking her head to collect her thoughts, Sakura felt his presence coming up behind her.

_Is it sore? Of course it's sore you **ass**! What the hell do you **expect** it to be? _

"Of course not! Why would it be sore after having had a chain attached to it too tightly for several hours?" she muttered sarcastically, her jade eyes meeting with his onyx ones. A light shock ran down her spine and her eyes widened the slightest bit.

_It's off…So much like Sasuke's…_

"You will get used to it," he shrugged indifferently and leaned up against the bedpost. Sakura sent him a dark glare, fidgeting with the sheet nervously. She cast him a glare, only to realize he had this eyes closed, inhaling softly through his nose.

Sakura narrowed her eyes to slits, "Get used to it?"

He didn't bother to answer her, only fluttered open one pitch black eye in response. Sakura flushed, but kept her dark glare in place.

"Are you saying, I'll wear this thing twelve hours of the day?" she asked in disbelief, her voice shrill with panic even to her own ears. A single black lock of velvety hair slid down to cover his left eye, the only eye she could see from her position. Relief washed through her, as she got a moment to take in his appearance.

He didn't wear the cloak this time, making his masculine frame even more apparent with the mass of hard and pure muscle, which seemed to be the only thing his torso consisted of, much to her dismay. She felt her pulse quicken, as if wishing to be in sync with the rapid pounding in her ears.

Quickly she caged back those thought to the darkest depths of her mind, knowing where it would lead to. Sakura averted her gaze from him, as he brushed away the hair covering his eye.

"There's no need be upset about it," he said somewhat softly. Sakura's brain had to scan those words several times, before she understood, what on earth the S-class criminal was talking about.

_Upset. **Upset**? Try **pissed** instead!_

"You expect me to wear this damn thing constantly, after I willingly followed you back here?" she asked politely, but still with rage pestering her voice.

"That has nothing to do with this," Itachi reasoned calmly, uncrossing his arms. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"The hell it hasn't," she spat and angrily threw her pillow at him. He dodged it effortlessly, his lips tugged into a smug smirk. Why was it that he always seemed to get a kick out of getting on _her _nerves?

Sakura clutched the sheet angrily and shook her head once again.

Too fast for the human eye to absorb, Itachi was suddenly in front of her, kneeling on the mattress and hovering above her. His fingers curled around her chin and lifted her up close, their lips brushing each other's.

Sakura was too shocked to react, and as she got welcomed by the familiar scent of hazarded darkness and thrilling danger, her body melted on its own accord.

"Your mouth is so violent. You shouldn't speak like that," he whispered softly. Finding her strength deep within her, Sakura narrowed her eyes and hissed: "There won't be a single second in my damn life, I will ever speak _softly_ to you!"

Then, with a gentleness shaking her entire being, he kissed her on the lips. Softly. Tenderly. Affectionately. His lips pried hers open and the taste of sin filled her mouth, as he coaxed her tongue to mingle with the sweet feel of his own.

Her fingers slid up his arm lightly, feeling the muscles flex beneath her touch. Finding their goal in his hair, she buried her fingers deep within the soft, raven mass of silk. Shyly she let instincts take over the kiss, and challenged him. Soon she felt him smirk slyly and press his lips harder to hers. Passion fueled heat to her senses, and she let him devour her mouth and soul.

As his teeth dug down her bottom lip, the fog in her head cleared.

Her eyes shot open.

No…

It was too……_real_…

Frantically she did what her mind told her to, and without thinking twice, she bit his lip…_hard_. The metallic taste of blood mingled with the dark flavor of him, and she pulled back, tumbling back onto the bed.

He stared at her, his eyes now a deep blood red.

Matching perfectly with the smudged red blood covering his lips.

Expecting him to go crazy, for lack of better term, Sakura instinctively grabbed the kunai on the bedside table and pointed it at him. Her breathing was labored and her lips swollen.

"Why are you so upset with me?"

Sakura blinked, not even registering as he dried away the blood from his lip, where she had bitten him.

_He´s…not mad?_

With a small smirk, Itachi leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to her jaw, nibbling softly, before moving back a few inches. Sakura watched, breathless from shock, as he carefully pried her fingers open and took the kunai out of her hands, as if had it been a mere lollipop. He placed it quietly on the bedside table once again.

Then he moved forward, his chest pressing against hers, and forced her to lie back down with him on top of her.

"I'm not here to fight you, kunoichi," he said indifferently, his voice flat as usual and his eyes neutral. She swallowed, feeling too petite and fragile beneath his strong frame, sending of waves of testosterone.

"Then why are you here? To fuck me senseless?"

Even Itachi seemed to stop breathing.

…_Great… Just **perfect** Sakura!_

Flushing furiously, Sakura ignored the fact they were flush up against each other, but despite her great efforts, it went out futile.

Taking a deep breath, and literally sharing the same air as Itachi, considering how close their faces were, Sakura cleared her senses.

"Just because I'm here, doesn't mean you have the right to be all over me," she said sternly, stubborn down to the last straw of the haystack.

"You never complained before," Itachi smirked, his fingertips tracing her swollen bottom lip. Sakura shivered at the sensual tingling on her lip, but shoved away the current heightening in her arousal.

"You never had your lips on my every fucking hour of the day before," she snapped, very much tempted to bite those fingers, now trailing down her jaw in a butterfly's touch. Itachi smirked broadly, and Sakura felt her stomach twirl into pleasurable knots.

"You like it," he pointed out calmly. Sakura scowled in embarrassment.

"That's not the point here. The point is I need to breathe, and I can't having your mouth ravishing my mouth all day long," she reasoned with a light blush. Itachi's smirk grew darker and Sakura found her voice completely gone, even if had it been a live or die-situation…Which it in some weird way was. A live or die-situation for her pride.

"Dear kunoichi, if you wanted my mouth paying attention to other places, you could just have asked and I would gladly have taken it up to consideration!"

The words numbed Sakura's world. She could only stare helplessly, as Itachi reached down and grabbed her aching ankle. The process made her fall back onto the bed with a gasp.

_Oh no… Is he going to…**shit**!_

As if watching a horror movie, Sakura was forced to watch, as Itachi pulled her ankle upwards. She flinched, as it throbbed worse from the position, but that throbbing soon vanished, as she felt his lips touch the sore skin.

"I-Itachi," she literally yelled. He smirked and licked a long sensual trail on her skin, where the chain had bit into her flesh. Sakura bit her tongue, feeling her chest ache painfully much from her pounding heart. The skin where the chain had bitten into her flesh was even more sensitive than usual. That caused her eyes to flutter, as he nipped softly on a particular sore and sensitive spot.

Trembling slightly, Sakura wriggled her ankle out of his grip. She ignored the pain it caused. At this point her pride was much more important than physical pain.

"Don't throw the flirtatious act on me," she scolded breathlessly. Itachi simply shrugged and leaned back against the headboard. Sakura watched his muscles swell under the movement of his body and with a flush, she quickly averted her gaze elsewhere.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, but nevertheless he said nothing. He only closed his eyes.

_Damn girl! Get a hold of yourself! The bastard can't figure out your mixed signals! You do.**not**.want.him! Show him that you **don't** want him! Is it really **that **hard, huh? It's a simple matter of saying: Itachi… **leave me the fuck alone you creepy killer**! _

"I got a little thing to show you!"

Sakura jerked out of her trail of thoughts, or her inner mind's, and she looked at Itachi. Or more like glared at him, her inner mind having peppered her current behavior to something less nice and sweet.

"What makes you think, I would like to see whatever it is?" she snapped, glaring at him hotly. Itachi simply smirked and shook his head. Leaning slightly forward, he licked his lips, a predatory gleam glistening in his eyes.

/"Oh, I am quite sure you will like this little benefit"/ his sultry and deep voice thundered through her…

_**Mind**!_

"W-what?" Sakura asked dazedly, as she heard his laughter in her mind. Shocked she stared at him, his lips not moving at all but being curled into a smug smirk. Her body was literally frozen to it's spot. A benefit? This was a _benefit_? Talking to each other though their minds?

She didn't want him in there. It was enough he was _around_ her, she didn't need him to be _in_ her.

/"It's nice, this little telepathic bond, isn't it? Allowing us such intimacy"/

A deep flush spread across her cheeks, making her look like a boiled lobster, before she angrily lunged at him. He caught her fist effortlessly and twisted her arm. Sakura hissed and bit her lip harshly, on the verge of drawing blood.

"Get out of my mind," she snarled. Itachi merely raised one delicate eyebrow in a mocking gesture.

/"What's wrong? You're so tense!"/

"Itachi, if you don't get out-"

/"And the best part, my mouth is available all the time"/

His lips met hers with bruising force, melting together with sensual motions. Sakura gasped softly, instantly responding to the kiss forced upon her.

With a small whimper, she felt her back meet with the cold satin beneath her, and her back instinctively arched to avoid the sudden coldness. The kiss deepened to feverish depths, as his lips urged hers to part and his smooth and maneuvering tongue slid into her mouth, coaxing her to respond with all her might.

_Damn it Sakura, don't let this jerk manipulate you like this!_

Itachi smirked. He had almost forgotten the traitorous Inner Sakura.

_But it feels so good. Itachi… he's such a sensual kisser…_

An invisible hand stroked his male ego at those words, and he grinded their lower bodies together, mimicking the age-old rhythm of making love. Sakura tore their lips apart and moaned softly. Itachi instantly trailed his scorching hot lips down her jaw and to that sensitive spot right behind her left ear.

/"Found it"/

A breathless gasp left her lips, as his lips latched onto that spot.

_Damn it girl, get that dreamy look off your face, and kick this stupid moron right back where he belongs!_

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at her. His nudged her jaw with his nose.

/"Quite the feisty thing, aren't you? Such a lovely inner mind to struggle with"/

Sakura frowned in disapproval and wrinkled her nose.

_Stupid telepathic bond…hey… **What** did he just say? **Inner mind**?_

Sakura had no time to even comprehend the stream of curses rushing through her brain at abnormal speed, before she felt the light pressure of his fingers on her neck, and the next thing that followed was utter darkness.

In the middle of all the darkness and pleasurable warmth curling around her body, she heard one last remark.

/"Sleep, and when you wake up…We're gonna talk"/

* * *

(**1**): Haha, **Chris**! You get me Pheonix?

* * *

**A/N:** I GOT FANART! She's one of my most loyal reviewers and a great friend: **Miakoda13**

Here it is: www. deviantart. com / deviation / 33356983 /

The link will also be in my profile under FOTS's stats.

Anyway, I think that would be all. Oh, and I got this chapter out earlier this time. I got my inspiration back! Everything just kept popping up in my mind and my fingers just had to keep up. YAY!

* * *

**Flowers**

Yep, this time it's the time for flowers!

**Hitaru, EnV, Mela-Chan818, ****backlash symphony, Anime and Manga Girls, SatuAka****, jennjennr, ****Theoneandonlydarkpowderpuff, laffytaffyyy, aoiroke-chan****, Sadiztik Torture, TaintedFlowerPetals, Firefox, Ai Ei, MidnightWolfe, Rising Pheonix****, and brasskix$$

* * *

**

**Preview Of Chapter 13:**

_(And this time, you can always try guess, but I think it's pretty obvious which one it's gonna be, ne?)_

/"Time to wake up, kunoichi"/

"I-Itachi?"

/"Slept well?"/

"I-I didn't sleep on you on purpose- I mean, I didn't- y-you know, I didn't-"

/"You didn't mean to sleep, sprawled on top of me?"/

"Stop the mind-talking, will you?"

/"No"/

"Would you then get out of my bed?"

/"No"/

"And why not, huh?"

"Because the way I see it, nobody will be leaving this bed in the nearest future!"

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**mina86: **Itachi got close to her because Kakashi held back Naruto and Sasuke.. hehe, which I explained in the chapter because of you. You kinda reminded me of that, or else I would've forgotten it totally.

I learned most of my words, by reading other's stories, so yeah! Hehe…

**brasskix$$: **You are forgiven… hehe… I don't see, why I shouldn't forgive you

**CHICA DE LA LUNA FANTASMA: **Chii and Hajo are OC characters. Mine actually. I just needed more characters, when I killed Kiiran you know, so I just made them up really quickly.

Cool names. Aeda and Hiero. I like those names! GRRR. You stole two good names, damn you!

**Rising Pheonix: **Hehe, me want story about the box and the Akatsuki. Oh and GO SLEEP! Even though it's too late saying it then GO SLEEP… for the second time now..

-drools- And give me more of my lovely Chase as well.

-runs over to Chase, tackling him to the ground, squealing-

**Firefox: **Well, she wants to go back to him because of her broken honor and pride, which I explained in the chapter. So, I hope you understand it? You do?

Hehe, lil Itachi?

**Pretear Fan: **YAY, a challenge!

**Miakoda13: **LOVE YOU! FANART AWESOME! LOVE YOU! AWESOME! LOVE YOU…

Oh and hurry up with the next fanart. ARGH, I CAN'T WAIT!

**XUchihaSakuraX: **That's all good. Somebody even guessed sins I already had posted… O.o

**Sadiztik Torture: **Here's your next dose –hands over chapter-… haha…

**MerodiPansa: **Well, I don't know what I'm gonna do with Sakura and Sasuke. I know that I've unconsciously built something between Sasuke and Sakura, but honestly I have no idea whether it's friendship or more. Like I said, I created it unconsciously. I didn't mean to have any SasuSaku-friendship or whatever in this story, but somehow it just melted it!

Itachi love Sakura? That's for you to figure out!

**aoiroke-chan:** Haha! Don't you just think I happen to write them so they fit together? Not that they actually do fit together? It was just plain odd if they got together in the real Naruto. Haha, I could just imagine it.

**Siy: **You didn't seem rude. Not at all. Don't worry about that!

**Theoneandonlydarkpowderpuff: **Better than leafygirl? Wow, that's a compliment! Thank you so much! I'm really honoured you think I'm better than the legend leafygirl, but then we have different ways of writing and hers is just different but still awesome…

Wow, you really think I'm that good?

**Alysia: **Aw, that's so cute. My story made you like ItaSaku! I'm so proud!

Anyway, I had a hard time getting up the chapter because of exams so you were right with the whole May thing! Damn exams!

**Jennjennr: **Three different types of medicine? More like six! Haha, don't worry. I had fun reading your review, even though it was a bit…crazy

**SatuAka: **Don't you dare kill your kitten.. haha

**dark x sorrow: **It includes Kakashi and as for Sasuke…I actually don't know yet. I don't know if it's just friendship they're trying to create or something more! I really don't know where I wanna go with the two of them, but it'll come later. I'm sure I'll end up deciding something way stupid!

**Anime and Manga Girls: **You can start jumping in joy right now! Hehe!

**DiRtY pIrAtE HooKeR: **You like the word shmexy! Haha! Thanks!

**Akkirako Chikuro: **I like that you support me on the lemon-thing. It's not gonna happen soon, because it's gonna destroy the plot line, but anyway at some point it will come and people will just have to wait patiently for that time to come. I'm not gonna rush my writing and then make it sound like crap.

Yep, busy schedule with me as well. Even though I don't play piano! Hehe! I got lot of other stuff to do as well, so yeah… exams are a pain in the butt and it destroys ALL social life.

Yep, it's gluttony!

My fist language is Danish. It's an odd language really. It's a fact that Danish is one of the hardest languages to learn, because we got way too many stupid rules on pronouncement of words and such, and we tend to steal words from both France and England, so it's really one big mess you know. And then we have a certain sound in the vocabulary that everybody has a hard time saying. Especially the English people. Hehe! It sounds so funny hearing them trying to say it.

And English is so NOT fluent for me. Only in writing! Haha!

Sakura's bra? You really have a funny sense of humour.

**La-Garce-Fille: **It's sloth-y the way that Sakura gave into Itachi. She gave into her desires, because she was finally to "lazy" to fight against it. You see? It's hidden in between the lines, because sloth really is hard to make fit anything, so I decided to explain it that way. You understand it now?

In this chapter most of the story collides, because Sakura finally gives into, what she wants, which she has been fighting against very long. Sooo….you get it now, right?

I just finished the exams on paper. Now I need to do the other ones… ARGH! I hate exams!

**A.B34UT1FUL-Lie: **Thanks! I need all the support I can get. Damn exams.

**kaitou angel: **Not lazy as in lazy, but in the chapter, Sakura gave into her desire for Itachi. She got too lazy to fight it anymore! It's not lazy as in acting lazily. It's hidden in between the lines, if you understand what I'm saying. It's kinda like symbolism. It's not clearly written in the lines.

Oh and I liked your story…I reviewed as well, remember?

**viper: **She kinda needs to be weak right now, but in the future she wont be. In this chapter, she fought him as well, sooo…hehe… I hope you understand why I made her weak in last chapter. It was kind of explained in this chapter. But if you didn't get it, it was because of pride. She wanted to gain back her pride.

**Itachi's-Gurl41: **Aw, you make me blush!

**blackXheart:** Sakura wants to go back with Itachi? I hope it was revealed enough in the chapter, but here it goes: because of pride. Stupid men and their pride… hold on… Sakura's a girl…

…

… O.O

…Oh boy!

…girl…. ARGH

**Moon Phases: **Wow… I just realised I based this chapter on your questions.

A: Why did Sakura go with Itachi?  
Pride!

B: What were the others' reactions to her decision?  
They understood!

Haha, I just realised I made up the scenes with the help of your questions. And the funny part is, I just realised that now. Anyway that's all cool. You helped me with this chapter then. Yay, go you!

**Eliza:** If you looked forward to KakaSaku action, you're gonna see it in next chapter. Let's just say in next chapter everything collides into en erupting volcano. Many characters meet. So don't be too disappointed! It will come eventually but still keep in mind it's "slight" KakaSaku, as I have written in the summary. The main pairing is ItaSaku, but of course I wont be neglecting KakaSaku.

Just be patient! Hehe…

**Atayla the Maiden of Darkness:** Argh, actually I haven't reviewed your story yet… me so sorry. I'll go do soon, but I've been completely absorbed with this chapter. I have nearly not read anything at all since I posted the last chapter, but eventually I will review your newest chapter… I just keep forgetting it.

Haha, yeah that would be a great way to pick up how to treat "ladies"! I could just imagine a guy getting ideas from reading a romance story written by a girl.

And no lemon yet! You'll have to be patient! Hehe..

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including: **Tsumii, ****Hitaru, ****Lady Hokage Tsunade****, Jade09, ****EnV, ****Mela-Chan818, ****empty-spaces, ****backlash symphony, ****ItaItaParadise, ****animemistress419, ****YamiKitsuneKami****, Tokiko, ****Heartless Ghost, ****Makoto Silvermoon, ****snow-leopard-demon24, ****Hatake Kayume, ****Seishi Sairensuno****, TaintedFlowerPetals, ****Ishimaru-sama, ****ByakuyaBaka****, sakuraAi, ****Ai Ei, ****MidnightWolfe**** and ****moomoomoothegirl**


	13. Note!

You guys never cease to amaze me! You care so much for this story...I'm so happy!

And I'm still here! I'm still writing. This story is far from over!

I'll post the next chapter when it's done, but I got friends and family! I need my social life too. Besides, it's summer here in Denmark, so it's rare I sit in front of the computer to actually write.

But I'm still writing!

If you guys want chapters on 20 pages and not only 4 (which is what I have now), then you have to wait. My writing is going slow, when it's summer! I don't have a laptop to bring with me the places I go to (friends, making new friends,beach, holidayetc.)

**The story is not over! **

**Just please be patient and give me some time! **

_-Frozyemo_


	14. The 7 Deadly Sins: Greed

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

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Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

* * *

**Thanks for staying with this story and me this long without updates. I really owe you big time!**

* * *

**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Thirteen: The 7 Deadly Sins: Greed**

/"Time to wake up, kunoichi"/

Sakura snuggled closer to the warmth surrounding her. Her head ached and despite a good night of sleep, she felt exhausted. She was convinced; she had slept on a fluffy and pink cloud, since her body felt like melted jellybeans.

/"Sakura"/

She stirred and tried to block out the intruder, but was left speechless as the bed suddenly moved beneath her. Her eyes shot open, accompanied by a gasp at the sight that met her. Her head had been nuzzling into a tanned neck, the pulse strong and soothing on the tip of her nose. Her hand was currently occupying a strong and muscular chest.

She blinked.

"I-Itachi?"

Depthless onyx eyes locked with hers and a lazy smirk appeared on his face.

/"Slept well?"/

Sakura paled as a warm and calloused hand slid up from her knee to her thigh and pulled her leg over his waist, rubbing her most intimate part up against his hipbone. Her mind was too fogged to register that though, and she simply stayed in place. She couldn't quite deny, it didn't feel good either.

"I-I didn't sleep on you on purpose- I mean, I didn't- y-you know, I didn't-"

The mild ache that she had woken up with had grown into a wild and incontrollable itch. That was partly what made her too embarrassed to pronounce words properly… that _and_ her stammering and the reduction of her vocabulary.

Itachi smirked wider and trailed his other hand up her spine and to her neck, where he began tracing patterns. The motion urged her head closer to his.

/"You didn't mean to sleep sprawled on top of me?"/

She blushed. Even in her mind, his voice was that low and seductive purr. She shook her head and broke free from his grasp. He smirked and closed his eyes. With a low growl, he folded his fingers and rested the back of his head on his palms.

"Stop the mind talking, will you?" she muttered and wrapped her sheet tightly around herself. She certainly hadn't in mind showing him any part of her. Luckily she wore her nightwear.

/"No"/

Sakura glared at him.

"Would you get out of my bed then?"

/"No"/

Is that the only freaking word he knows? 

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed lightly. She could just move out of the bed, but she had more pride than that. It was her bed, _her_ property. Well, not really her property but whatever; she was the one sleeping in it.

"And why not?"

Sakura had expected a cruel comment. Maybe that was why she suddenly found herself on her back, defenceless and with Uchiha Itachi above her with his infamous smirk.

She blushed a heavy red, both embarrassed and pissed off. It was as he saw her as some sextoy. Use it, then throw it away.

"Because the way I see it, nobody will be leaving this bed in the nearest future!"

Not only did that cause Sakura to blink in shock. It also made her narrow her eyes and tense up beneath him. Did he… was he implying that… Sakura suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable, as she lay beneath him. The urge to simply scream was very tempting at the moment, but she suppressed it.

At her silence, Itachi's eyes darkened.

"I hate repeating myself, kunoichi. We need to practice on our telepathic bond, now that it has been activated," he proclaimed. Sakura's lips twitched slightly. Okay, she was a very curious person. Blame it on her parents or whatever.

All she knew about the telepathic bond he claimed to be there, was that _he_ was able to invade her mind. A fact _she _wasn't comfortable with at all. So, what was left to practice?

Unless… Sakura's eyes widened.

"Practice? You mean I can-"

"Only if I allow you," Itachi interrupted her calmly. Sakura's fist clenched around the sheet and she threw him a throughout maddened glare.

"That's unfair. You can just rummage through my thoughts and mind talk to me, and I need _permission_ to look into yours," she hissed. Itachi rewarded her with a mere arch of his eyebrow and his eyes swept down to look disapprovingly at her hand wrinkling the sheet.

"The maker of the seal gets most of the benefit," he replied casually. Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was comparing her with _trash_.

_How is it possible for a man to be that damn arrogant? I mean **Sasuke** is bad enough! You would've thought Sasuke is Sasuke, because Itachi hadn't stolen any god damn luggage from the arrogant-department. Apparently, Sasuke just took the **leftovers**!_

Sakura scowled and looked away from him. She simply couldn't stand that carefree expression on his face. As if it was all right to treat a person like a pet. Treat _her_ like a pet. A pet was an entirely different thing than a weakling. She could live with being a weakling, but being a pet…

"I should've guessed there were perversions connected to it," she grumbled under her breath. Much to her dismay, she had to admit she was cornered this time. He got her with this seal. She couldn't even hide her deepest secrets from this man and maybe… that was what scared her the most.

"Perversions or not, it's only fair the maker gets the profit," Itachi replied flatly. If a mirror would magically appear in front of her, Sakura was sure steam would be flowing out of her ears.

"It's not fair for the victim," she replied patiently with a strained voice, "and this conversation is officially over!"

She swept her legs over the edge of the bed proudly.

"Don't go out there!"

Sakura growled in irritation and twisted her head sharply. He hadn't moved a muscle. He was simply lying there with his eyes closed and that lock of raven hair that always seemed to be stuck in the hollow of his eye-

She kicked herself mentally.

"And what should stop me?"

"Chii and Hajo are on guard," he exclaimed with a twitch of the corners of his mouth.

… Plop, plop…. _Splash_!

"_What_!"

"You won't leave until I'm done saying what I have to say," he continued calmly.

She was blinded by the sudden rage inside her. Therefore, she let her instinct take over and…lunged forward.

A mixture between a gasp and a snarl left her lips, as Itachi grabbed her elbows and literally slammed her up against the headboard. She was firmly planted onto the headboard, her legs pushed apart and their hips brushing sensually against each other. Sakura flushed a deep crimson and hissed random words at him, carefully tucking the harsher words into cotton.

"Calm down, kunoichi," Itachi said, his voice emotionless as usual. Her struggling was futile.

_Screw it, if we can't win! Just hurt the damn guy! _

"So fierce," Itachi smirked lowly and leaned closer. Her struggling immediately ceased and her body tensed from both fear and the opposite.

"What do you think you're doing? This is harassment," she snapped at him, arched her body in an attempt to break free. Itachi chuckled huskily, his chest vibrating softly against hers.

With a smug grin, he leaned forward the last few inches and nuzzled his nose into her hair. She fought down the flustered look on her face and stubbornly turned her head away.

_Damn him and his stupid womanising tricks_

"There are rules here as well as other places", he started speaking softly into her neck," for your safety, you are only allowed to be in the east sector of the headquarters. You have a time limit of three hours per day, bathroom and meals not included."

Not even the warm blows of his breath on her neck could keep her mouth clamped shut.

"_Three hours_!"

"The training areas will only be at your service when you're with me, Kisame, Chii or Hajo and there's a time limit as well. Two hours at day, two hours at night. Whether you chose to use the hours at night is your choice, but you will only still attend to practice with mentioned members of the order, preferably me or Kisame."

Sakura bit her tongue to avoid her voice rising to dangerous heights. That man was insufferable. Rules? Did he actually believe she would obey such stupid and _unneeded_ rules? She hadn't been very trustworthy until now, but she had come back hadn't she and to be honest… she regretted right now that she had come back!

She didn't belong here… it was wrong of her to come back…

"I'm not planning to run away. I chose to come back with you of my own will, so why on earth are you locking me up like that," she asked, not quite defeated. Itachi smirked and parted his lips in a dangerous grin.

"The other members will return soon for our monthly gathering and they will stay for a week! They return randomly, not on a specific date, though they stay here to a specific date. Most of them know about you, but they see you as my pet-"

"_Pet_?"

"-and therefore I'm doing this to protect you against them and their advances!"

Pet… _Pet?_

She shoved at him weakly, "Well, that's just perfect. Then what am I supposed to do in here?"

Itachi's gaze lost its intensity and turned back to the usual cold depths of crimson. Sakura drew in a breath of relief, as he let her go and smoothly stood up from the bed.

"Whatever you chose. You can visit the library and get some books if anything," he replied bluntly. Sakura gritted her teeth. This was the last thing she had expected. Rules?

However, to some extent 'pet' was the right term.

"I thought, when I agreed to this, I would be free of this… _chain_," she spat despite her attempts to stay calm and collected. What did he take her for? He had no right to place such heavy rules upon her! She hadn't even done anything to… okay, maybe escaping with her team had done a little something, but even though he couldn't judge her like that.

And she hadn't even willingly escaped…

"I'll be visiting you regularly, and be sure to remember I'm keeping an eye on you every time you're out of this room," Itachi proclaimed mercilessly. Sakura came to her feet angrily, clutching a pillow in her hand.

"Just my luck," she snapped under her breath. Itachi didn't acknowledge her.

"If I'm not able to do so, Chii will be the one to take over."

Without hesitating Sakura threw the pillow at him. She had hoped for it to hit him straight in his goddamn face, but of course he dodged it effortlessly.

"What _is_ this? I'm _not_ a pet, and I _refuse_ to be seen as one! You can't rule over me like that", she hissed and spun around, reaching out for the doorknob. She was just about to turn it, as she felt a coldness wash over her and she froze, her spine stiff and her eyes wide.

"…Do I treat you badly?"

"Huh?"

(-)

"He's far too attached to that weak girl," Hajo yelled from the other side of the river. Kisame opened one eye and looked down at him from the branch of the tree he was currently resting on. Chii leapt down from the tree and landed solidly on the ground with a few shuriken in her left hand.

She threw them with ease towards Hajo, who dodged them effortlessly with an arrogant smirk. Kisame shook his head and went back to his peaceful slumber. Chii growled lowly and snorted.

"Then let him be. It's not like it's hurting others," she spat. Hajo threw her another one of his arrogant loop-sided smirks, then channelled chakra through his body and to his feet, as he took off from the ground and landed securely on the other side of the river.

Chii immediately lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. The sudden sound of muffled groans and hisses made Kisame open his eye once again.

"She's just an object to get the item. She'll be thrown away sooner or later," Hajo reasoned and threw Chii off him with a kick to her stomach. She did a quick backwards flip and crouched on the ground unladylike.

"Itachi can cope with that," Kisame interrupted rudely. Hajo swept a few locks of hair away from his eyes and took a full look at Kisame.

"Hopefully," he then muttered darkly and went back to glare at Chii, as she stood op, sweeping dust off her cloak with a scowl; "Hajo stop being such an ass. Itachi's doing that job perfectly fine on his own"

"Just because you have a fetish about the girl," Kisame threw in viciously. Hajo sent him a dark glare.

"I do not."

"I have to agree with Kisame considering the proofs," Chii smirked nastily and leapt from the ground, swirling around in the air with her leg posed for a kick. Hajo easily grabbed her ankle and twisted her leg. She flinched slightly and braced her palms on the ground, before her face made contact with it.

"I just wanted to piss him off easily. She was the fastest way," Hajo exclaimed lightly. Chii pulled at her leg and yanked him down on top of her. She grabbed his cloak and pulled him down inches from her face.

"I don't care whether or not you're my cousin, but any man speaking that lowly of a woman deserves to go straight to hell," she snarled angrily.

"And that should come from woman _from_ hell," Hajo smirked amusedly and leaned down further, brushing their noses against each other. Shock flashed across Chii's face, and she blushed heavily.

"You ever heard of incest you pig," she hissed and shoved him off her. He laughed shortly and then grabbed her wrist, pulling her close once again. He had always known his cousin's weakest spot was the opposite sex. Being the tough no-nonsense girl, she was afraid of the affectionate side of the other sex… the side he fortunately was very comfortable with!

"But why bother? It's so obvious you want me," he stated innocently with a hint of mischief. Chii narrowed her eyes, but the blush still refused to leave her face.

"Shut up you imbecile dork! _Incest_! I-n-c-e-s-t?"

"Aw, but baby!"

"Watch out the-"

Kisame's voice was cut short by the sudden snap of a robe, and in a matter of seconds, the two cousins were fighting each other tangled up in a net high above the ground.

"-traps," Kisame finished sighing. He shook his head, as they instantly began bickering.

"You idiot, see what happened," Hajo spat angrily and fought against the net. Chii swirled her head around sharply, her blonde curls twirling in the air.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault," she defended herself hot-headedly. Hajo rolled his eyes and pulled out a kunai, instantly starting to cut the net. Kisame briefly wondered, why they didn't just ask him to untie the trap, but figured they had probably forgotten about him by now.

"You were the one tackling me," Hajo shot back.

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-hu"

"Don't you dare uh-hu my nu-uh," Chii spat angrily and threw a punch at his jaw. He caught her fist with a sigh and twisted her arm like usual. She yanked free and shot him a glare.

"It's so obvious he isn't in control of his emotions," Hajo muttered dryly, "why can't you just cut the net with your nails?"

"Or I could shred your throat with my nails?"

Kisame sighed and slid a kunai out from his cloak, aiming it at the robe. The sudden whiz in the air, made both Chii and Hajo fall silent. The silence was short though, as they came flying unceremoniously towards the ground.

"And it's so nice to have him not bugging us all day long, as he did before Sakura got here," Chii claimed and sat up on her knees with a light groan.

"Oh so now you call her by name?"

"Oh shut up you ignorant amoeba!"

"Heavy insult there-"

"-If they love each other then let them!"

A bird chirped nearby.

"…Love?"

(-)

"You heard me!"

Slowly her hand fell from the doorknob reluctantly, "Why do you ask?"

Sakura licked her lips nervously, as the soft padding of his feet against the wood stopped right behind her. Her eyes widened as his hand grabbed her shoulder. She expected him to pull her back, but instead his hand slid down her shoulder and all the way down to the small of her back, where it eventually found rest.

She shivered involuntarily, and he stepped closer resting his chin on her shoulder.

"What's the answer?"

It took a few second for Sakura to find her voice and steadying it; "You're paranoid!"

He didn't answer. He just continued to breathe softly against her shoulder, drawing tender patterns into the small of her back.

"You think I'll go run away at any given chance," Sakura replied stubbornly. Instead of drawing soft patterns into her back, his hand suddenly clutched the fabric and pulled her back against him harshly. His other hand tangled in her hair, forcing her head back.

She let out a strangled growl.

"And if you were given the chance, would you?" he asked calmly. Sakura took a deep breath and fought down the urge to knee him in a certain place. Her scalp itched where his fingers were buried deep within her locks. She felt dirty being this close to him. Funny enough, she wasn't afraid. Not in the least. Wrath had taken over the place where fear should've been and doubled her rage.

"No. I told you, this time I agreed to it. I'll stay until the deal is over," she hissed back, and only earned a sharp nip on her jaw, followed by the sensual lick of his tongue. She bit back the whimper of submission. He knew her body too well. Curse that seal!

"When is it over?" Sakura continued steadily. Itachi let go of her and stepped away, turning his back to her. Sakura rubbed her scalp angrily, sending him a dark glare he most likely didn't even see.

/"When the seal is properly activated"/ _Then Kyuubi will be able to sense you and you'll be used as bait, and we'll force out Kyuubi and seal it inside the scroll…_

"And how is it activated properly?"

_…You losing the most precious thing a woman can have_

"Go to sleep," Itachi spoke aloud, as if he tried to drown his own thought in fear of her hearing them. She couldn't. Not without his permission, so why was he 'scared' she heard them? Guilt? Guilt for taking away such a thing? Anger? Maybe hurt? It was all so confusing. He had no real emotions towards her, so why did he feel… _bad_ doing this to her? It would probably scar her for life, no doubt about that and did he really want- No! It wasn't about what he wanted. It was about what was needed and right now it was needed that he took her virginity to keep the scroll and seal going. He had to. It was a mission.

"I asked you a question, don't cut me off like that," Sakura snapped angrily. Within a mere second Itachi was in front of her. She squeaked softly in surprise, as she felt the pressure of his hand on the back of her neck. Knowing what was about to happen she instinctively fought against the grip. She stopped struggling though, as she was slammed up against the door, his hands on each side of her head.

Itachi smirked and nudged her jaw with his nose/"don't take that tone with me"/

The sultry words were followed with a sharp nip on her jaw. Sakura's eyes widened. For a moment she thought of running away _somehow_, but as usual she ended up being at his mercy.

/"Nevertheless I will grant you your answer, though I won't be surprised you won't like it… in the beginning that is"/

"Let me go," Sakura said stubbornly, arching her back to shove him off her with her body. He merely inched closer, plastering her to the door and gluing their bodies together. She could feel the warmth radiating of him and it sent reluctant shivers down the length of her spine.

_Curse_ _him._

_Not to mention he isn't wearing a damn shirt, only that freaky sweatpants thingy… I can't believe **that's** his nightwear! _

Sakura flushed heavily at her inner mind's thoughts and shook her head.

"So, what's the answer?"

Sakura was desperate to keep the conversation going. The ever so stoic Itachi was hard to deal with when being in an intimate position, and it was even worse when it was a _silent_ intimate position.

"The answer, kunoichi, is very simple. The seal reacts to my touch, so naturally it'll be _activated_ for real by me touching the source of it, which is inside your body!"

Her entire body was hit with a fist of ice.

_I-I…In…Inside me?If that bastard thinks he can-_

"Poking a finger into a wound?" Sakura mumbled timidly, shivering nervously at his form towering above her. It was like an aura of darkness and passion enveloped Itachi. Sakura closed her eyes tightly, as his fingertips slid down her jaw.

He leaned a few inches forward just enough to make his jaw connect with her cheek. Sakura flushed deeply and shied away from the touch, but was forced back by his fingers tugging on her chin.

/"Not exactly. It'll be less bloody and more pleasurable"/

Sakura gasped lightly, as his hand slid up her thigh to stroke the seal softly. Her body instantly melted from the direct touch and her breathing developed to a panting. Itachi smirked and lightly bit her earlobe. Sakura gritted her teeth and angled her head away from his stubbornly. It would be over her dead body, literally, that he would ever get to do _that_ to her.

/"Don't worry. It'll end soon enough"/

With those words, he pulled her roughly with him and tripped her onto the bed, crawling on top of her to prevent her escape. His hands captured her wrists, pinning her relentlessly to the bed. She was scared. Scared straight into the marrow of her bones.

A quiet yelp left her lips as his hand trailed up her thigh again.

/"It'll hurt less if you relax"/

Then, with a slow and tentative stroke, his finger slid in between her thighs, caressing the most sacred place of them all.

(-)

"Did you just say love?"

Chii coughed lightly and tried to hide her uneasiness from the scrutiny of Hajo's gaze. Kisame sat frozen on the branch and stared at the two cousins. Chii fidgeted nervously and tried to shrug as casually as possible.

"I don't know about him thou-"

A sudden rush of chakra flowed through the ground beneath them, alerting Chii. Hajo shortly forgot all about the proclamation of love and turned to look at Kisame, who had jumped down from the branch, a hand loosely holding his samehade.

"You feel it too?" Hajo asked quietly. Kisame nodded, while Chii muttered a quiet yes, still lost in the odd feeling of chakra pulsating through the ground. That chakra…It had been too strong to be regular chakra. It simply had to be… but then that would mean… and… would he really do that to her already?

"The scroll," Kisame growled lightly. Hajo gave a confirming nod, as Chii frowned.

"But that means they're-"

"Yes. They are." Kisame interrupted flatly. It didn't surprise Chii, Kisame was the one being most calm and collected. Being partner with Itachi had probably 'hardened' him. He was harder to shake out of track than them at least. That much was for sure. She envied that. It wasn't that she had wished to be 'paired' with Itachi, and Hajo did make an exceptional great partner and they were related as well, but… she had envied Kisame in the beginning.

She hadn't had a crush on Itachi as most of the female Akatsuki had had, but…well… she did admire him on a slightly higher level than what was usual.

"We need to get back. _Now_!"

"If the scroll is leaking chakra, it's dangerous getting too close," Chii quickly exclaimed to stop Hajo from doing the most stupid in his entire life. Hajo sent her a glare.

"Dangerous my-"

"Can't you feel the chakra beneath us? If it's that strong this far away, how strong mustn't it be at the source?" Kisame muttered and walked up to stand beside Chii. Chii crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at her cousin, trying not to spit out the usual insults an argument between the two of them carried.

"We can't stay here and just-"

"We _have_ to stay here," Chii interrupted rudely. Kisame looked up at the sky, glancing at the eagle circulating above the tall trees.

"Woman, would you stop interrupting me?" Hajo growled angrily. Chii uncrossed her arms and clenched her fists at her sides, glaring at him fiercely. Hajo smirked in delight at her response to his 'insult'.

"Call me that again, and you'll fall flat on your face," she warned in a low hiss. Hajo arched his eyebrows arrogantly and held up his hands in defence. He even walked a few steps backwards to add more to the effect.

Kisame swept his eyes away from the eagle to look at Chii. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Call you what… _woman_," Hajo shot back innocently.

"_That's _it."

Kisame's hand did nothing to prevent Chii from tackling Hajo roughly to the ground. Kisame sighed and shook his head lightly, "they're like kids!"

Hajo expertly grabbed her wrist and effortlessly twisted her arm, shoving her face down into the ground, as he straddled her from behind.

"You talked about falling flat on your face? Well, who's the one down kissing dirt now, honey?"

The eagle flew away unceremoniously at the sudden piercing yell of rage from below.

(-)

"Kaka-sensei?"

Kakashi threw a quick glance in the direction of Naruto and Sasuke, both of them silent and alert.

"You feel it too, right?"

* * *

**A/N:** NO LEMON! I simply can't write those and be comfortable with it. I tried but couldn't and then a friend (you know who you are!) told me not to write it, if I wasn't comfortable with it… And I'm not… It's at times like these it shows I'm only 15 years old! In privacy I can write them, but NEVER EVER post them for others to read! 

SORRY FOLKS? Don't forget all the other juicy stuff in the other chapters. I really hope they make up for this!

I gave my best shot and it ended up being miserable!

AND I HATE COMMAS! Seriously, don't pay attention to them. I pretty much ignore them myself soooo…

Oh and I got more fanart from **Miakoda13**: **http/ www . deviantart . com / deviation / 33697797/ **

* * *

**To all those who guessed GREED:**

HAHA, you win……….A PIECE OF MY HENTAI-MIND! –hands over a piece of her mind- Now go find out what wicked ideas I have in mind for Itachi and Sakura!

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**animeaddict99: **Hehe, do I sense irony?

**Blackbloodedkunoichi: **I think I know what you're trying to say. But then you may never know the mysteries of the human mind -dark music- …O…kay…

**La-Garce-Fille: **It's kinda hard to explain. We've got exams on paper and 'mouth' if you get what I mean? I don't know what it's called in English but it's mouth-exams, you know? The ones showing how good you are with pronouncement, mathematic explanation and all that stuff?

You get me?

**ItaItaParadise: **Kiiran _did_ want to help Sakura. Kiiran 'helped' Itachi by making Sakura break the deal. Kiiran hoped Sakura would escape… not end up with Itachi again. If you get what I mean? So in a way she helped Itachi not knowing that she did.

**Monomaniacal: **…I know… -sigh- It's because s and d is right up against each other on the keyboard!

**Jade09: **There will be more chapters. Just not with sins. Hehe.

Haha, keep drooling. I do it all the time too. And she is gonna stand up soon. She did in this chapter at least, but in the next chapters she'll stand up more, but still remember that Itachi and Sakura starts to have feelings for each other, so it's pointless for them to keep fighting. I mean when you got feelings for a person, it's always hard to hurt the one. Emotionally or otherwise.

**Yachiru-chan**: No more helpless and confused Sakura, but REMEMBER she's emotionally confused. She doesn't know whether she cares for Itachi or not, so naturally she'll get weaker to his advances.

And she hasn't unlocked her potential. Don't worry. I haven't forgot it, but I need to keep the story going by continually pushing things aside that I can bring up later and make a plot out of it. That's my way of making a plot. Hehe. A stupid way but a way nonetheless.

**Akkirako Chikuro: **HOLY COW! TALK ABOUT REVIEWING. I didn't even know what to start with. I actually just sat and stared at the screen, my mind totally blank. WOW? Hehe…

Okay, now I'll try answer your lovely review!

I agree with you. It is sad when authors just write what their reviewers want them to. It ruins the story, if the author had something else in mind. And it ruins the entire plot too. Besides an author shouldn't question its own story, if you get what I mean?

They fight constantly because they're stubborn… like an old married couple as you say! Haha!

BE SERIOUS! Be fucking serious about your grades even in 7th grade. I mean it. You'll need it when you get to your final year. And I'm not even lying about this.

I prefer reviews like yours. The ones with opinions and such. It makes it easier for me to write somehow. Can't really be explained.

Itachi? Joking? Well… In a way… it kinda is. You'll understand in the final chapter. Not that it's coming out soon! I've just written the final scene to the story. Hehe, couldn't help it. It was just so damn tempting and urgh!

**Itachi's pet:**hehe, did this chapter answer your question? Whether they did it or not? Lol

**Miakoda13:** YAY! I love your fanart! GO YOU! July 13… Now I know! hehe

**akashicrecord: **ARGH, sorry.. I can't do lemons… -sob sob-

**Alysia: **Okay, I'll turn down her swearing. Hehe, I knew it already, but thanks for pointing it out. At times I put Inner Sakura and Sakura together. When I write both of them I tend to mix them together. Make them remind too much of each other.

You should write a Naruto-fic.. Hehe… How I manage? You know.. I can't even answer that myself.

**Siy: **NO SASUSAKU! I dislike that pairing as well. I just don't like Sasuke.. probably because I absolute love Itachi. I mean it must be hard to like both Itachi and Sasuke, when they're both set on killing each other you know…. Right?…. right!

**UchihaSakuraXItachi: **-squeals like a fangirl- ITACHI DOLLS! –runs around in circles, throwing Itachi dolls everywhere- -runs into a door and faints-

I love challenges, but this chapter stinks. It possibly can't be better than the previous one!

**Anime and Manga Girls:** Hehe, damn schoolwork… I feel your pain.

**Tsumii: **Hajo is _concerned_. And then he likes to play with Sakura. Nothing more. He doesn't care about her at all and then he likes to piss off Itachi! Haha!

**Sabaku-No-Ardent: **Killer…bonding…moment? –blinks-

**Atayla the Nightmare Queen: **S/M lemon? O.O Wow… Sounds… interesting O.O?

And I'll remember to review your story… hehe…

**theoneandonlydarkpowderpuff: **…YAY! It was greed. YAY. GO YOU! –winks-

hehe, wow, I beat leafy girl?… and she's _awesome_… I don't think I'm as good as her but whatever.

You seriously typed all those 'UPDATE'?

**Kyuubitch: **Hehe, sorry for making you uncomfortable. I'll make sure not to 'hurt' your ankle's feelings again..

**Rising Pheonix:** haha, Orochimaru IS gay – no offense! And SanRen Akatsuki Phoenix Productions? Cool name!

**.chie.x.sieka.: **HOLY FUCK FUCKITY FUCK! SHIT! What a DAMN REVIEW! –takes deep breath- Okay, I'm ready –places her fingers on the keyboard- BRING IT ON REVIEW! I'M GONNA GETCHA!

A cyborg… haha, I doubt I want to see where this is going.. hehe  
kawaii? Seriously! You think that? ……… You do know you tend to just talk without any reason about random stuff? –wink wink- You've lost me! Itachi imitating Naruto with that line? And romantic thing a few chappies back? I'm lost. Seriously.

NOW I'M BACK ON TRACK! How long it took for me to type this? Many many MANY hours. That's all I can say. Hehe…

HOLY SHIT! NO, I just made up the Chii-name myself. I NEVER KNEW THAT… DAMN! I thought… WOW! Am I good at making up names that actually exists or what!

Sasuke and freakmode is a thing I'll never be able to write.. Besides he's matured. He's not 13 years old anymore, so from my point of view he won't go berserk the same way anymore. And then it involves Sakura too, sooo… well… He cares for her as a teammate. Why would he do anything, egoistical or not, that could hurt her?

Kakashi? Nah, he doesn't know more than Sasuke and Naruto, but… well… MAYBE he knows something… or sees something in a different light. Would Itachi be pissed if he found out they kissed! HELL YEAH! Itachi is leading yep, because he's the seals "first person". Kakashi is the second one.

**bloodluster:** There will be more KakaSaku. Don't worry :D

**brasskix$$: **Hehe, don't worry.. You'll see much more of me when this story is over!

**Jennjennr: **Hehe, you _were_ pretty much out of it in the last review…

**Black-Chicca: **Hehe, I'm flattered. You seem to really like my story! Okay, to the questions. Erm, chakra around Sakura. That's Inner Sakura's chakra, that Itachi is able to unleash due to the seal. And it's the seal that wants Itachi to mingle their chakras, because there's one way to do that –cough cough- and the seal needs them to do that to be activated. Like what happened in this chapter.

**Maria-Minamino: **I made him kill Kiiran to show you people out there –points to the screen- that Itachi hasn't turned soft

Hehe… could_n't_ care less… hehe

**Sakura0890:** Hehe, it's funny everyone says my story is very descriptive. Hehe, it just hit me all of a sudden. Even my teacher says it. Haha!

**Oni Reveiw: **Nope. No mind-talking to her unless Itachi allows her. I'm just so evil huh? BUT on occasion he may allow her unconsciously. In one chapter he did that. I just don't remember which one. It was before she knew anything about the mind-talking though.

And Kakashi talked to Kiiran and allowed her to respond, you see…YAY! You commented on my fanart!

**The Masquerade Moth: **-sighs- Ignore the commas. I never pay attention to them… and sadly… I KNOW SHIT ABOUT Deidara and that S(something)-guy. So sad. So as you see, I simply _can't_ put in more members. Then they have to be OC, and there I got Chii and Hajo. Actually I put them in exactly because I didn't know the other members well enough. ARGH! DAMN ME! ARGH!

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including**: selandora, ****00kamijin, ****Hitaru, ****latoya, ****UchihaSakura87, ****XUchihaSakuraX, ****kaitou angel, ****jenfrog, ****blackXheart, ****Seishi Sairensuno, ****Heartless Ghost, ****Chica De La Luna Fantasma, ****Mela-Chan818, ****Hikari Fushicho, ****animemistress419****, raven, bells-and-whistles, ****BeAuTiFuL MaSsAcRe,****Truth or Desire, ****ByakuyaBaka****Hatake, Kayume****Sapphire-Jewels****, darkchild, ****MidnightWolfe, ****Rissy-Riss****, mina86, ****SatuAka, ****Rhonda21, ****moomoomoothegirl, ****sakura5584, ****Darksoul LJ, ****dreammist4ever, ****EnV, ****Jixnce ****'sayhellopunk-****, Firefox, Sadiztik Torture, ****Pink Spiral****fluffy101 ****i-x3-shikamaru, ****fallingblackpetals, ****anime queen420, ****Miaka Akito, ****xXShadowedfateXx, ****tirap, ****RedWingedAngelChaos****, lidia, in luv with cold hearted guys, ****GinaCat****, Danail-Grace08, SNKT, ****LoNeLyRiCeBaLl, ****Lady Hokage Tsunade****Tea, Twin****Bloodrain15, ****xrandii, ****highsummonerlenne, ****Sage347, ****Itachi's-Gurl41**** and ****ElizabethMarieBennett**)


	15. Why Do I Feel Like A Sinner?

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)

**Category: **Action/Romance

**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)

**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

**And I didn't check for any mistakes in grammar. Didn't have time. Going on a trip tomorrow and wanted to update before that trip so yeah… Hope you can cope with all the mistakes in it!** **Fragility Of The Sakura**

-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Fourteen: Why do I feel like a sinner? **

Her body ached all over; as she with great effort pushed herself up on her elbows. Moonlight shone into the room from the window, painting it's supernatural glow onto the harsh wooden floor. She gently rubbed her temple in an attempt to ease her thundering headache.

_Sakura could feel his eyes staring at her, but tried to ignore it, yet it only seemed to increase the ache in between her thigh. What on earth was her body doing? She had never felt this warm and throbbing before. She hated this. It itched, and it was annoying her to no end._

Her cheeks flushed with passionate memories, or rather quick flashes of glistening bodies, lacking inhibitions and lustful cries and moans.

_She bit her lip, to prevent herself from letting a moan slip out. Instead she concentrated on the conversation, and tried to ignore the throbbing and itching down there, and how his hand seemed to close in on it._

"Oh god," Sakura mumbled unsteadily, "what…was I thinking?"

_Adjusting his hand, another finger joined the first. Finding the opening, it penetrated and slid into her warmth. She convulsed around the intruder almost instantly, as it began to move rhythmically. Her head fell back onto the bed, and a broken hiss left her lips._

She bit her bottom lip embarrassed, her brows furrowing in confusion. All these feelings… regret… humiliation… happiness… Just one blur of emotions.

_Her body jerked awake as tremors joined the shivers running up and down her spine. He smirked darkly. There it was. With slow, sensual circles, the pads of his finger rubbed the sensitive bundle of nerves, hidden between those soft folds. _

Sakura smiled shyly and rubbed her eyes, partly trying to rub off the heavy flush on her cheeks.

She was going to beg him releasing her. She was going to scream his name. His! 

_He took notice of how, she now was grinding her body against his, and pulling him flush with her. He let completely go of her lips, as the lack of air showed itself. Gasping soundly for air, her eyes kept being closed. Itachi leaned in._

"_Does it ache, kunoichi?" His voice was a purr. A dark, husky whisper against her skin. A jolt of warmth floated down into the most intimate area of hers. It was hard for her not to shiver, as warm lips nibbled on the skin on her neck, teeth scraping across her sensitive neck and creating red streaks of pulsating flesh… which he seemed to be fond of making._

Maybe it wasn't so bad. It hadn't been exactly painful and nobody would have to know. Maybe the seal was even gone now.

_His hands left a burning trail and the deep growls back in his throat made her tremble. She bit down her bottom lip and prevented moans to get through. Never had anything felt so intense, so incredible powerful and so unmistakable right. Suddenly she found her fingers tangled into his soft hair, and her lips sighed his name in a silent whisper. What was he doing to her? **Why **was he doing it? _

_A low moan escaped her lips, as his lips sucked in a piece of tender flesh, enjoying the fresh and cold flavor it held._

Maybe this was all over and she could go home and pretend nothing had ever happened?

_His thumb slowly worked up the tension around the sensitive nub, gently urging it to push her up higher, which it certainly did. Slowly, lazily, but it still did. The finger inside of her was joined by another, stretching her even more tightly. She was close. So very close, yet he refused to push her completely over the edge. _

Absently rubbing her thighs up against each other, Sakura let out a surprised squeak at the sudden jolt of pleasure running through her. Her blush intensified.

Oh yeah… The seal…Probably all the more sensitive right now… 

"You regret it?"

Sakura gasped loudly and practically leapt up from the bed. Her head spun around and almost immediately, her eyes located a feminine frame leaning up against the wall, head bowed and arms crossed.

"I'm not the sentimental type, but nevertheless I'm not blind to the world around me. I'm familiar with torture and death. I know people die by simply assigning to a mere mission. People are submissive tools to their country."

"…Chii…"

Her voice was dark and low, nothing like it usually was. She spoke with a slow carefulness that made it hard to analyze her mood… and made it hard for Sakura not to shudder in fear. Sakura quickly wiped the hair away from her eyes and took a closer look at Chii. Chii turned her face towards the window.

"People see _us_ as the freaks on earth. They think of us as monsters and we may act like that; I won't deny anything. I find pleasure in watching people I loath suffering right before my eyes, by my own hands. Itachi does as well. I need you to promise me something."

Sakura blinked at the sudden switch in subject and she found her voice gone for a second. She had never seen Chii like this.

"Promise?" Sakura muttered weakly, feeling vulnerable in the dark. By the way why hadn't Chii turned on the light? Sakura suppressed the urge to snort. Probably to add dramatic effect. At times Chii could be understanding and at times she reminded Sakura that bit too much of her cousin, the ever so arrogant Hajo.

Chii sighed lightly and pushed herself off the wall. She sauntered smoothly across the floor and positioned herself in front of the edge of the bed, looking at Sakura with determination.

"I don't know Itachi very well but something is-"

"Chii!"

Chii tensed and her eyes blanked. Her reaction opposite to Chii's, Sakura's eyes widened in shock and her hand instinctively tugged the covers up to her chin, almost causing her to lose her balance. Chii was the first one to recover and closed her eyes, smiling almost predatorily.

"Itachi!"

Her voice was soft, the complete opposite of the one she had just used at Sakura. Sakura instantly felt the deep blush cover her cheeks again at the sight of Itachi. He was dressed in his normal attire. Inner Sakura's eyebrow twitched; as she figured out, he hadn't even bothered to wake her up. His raven black hair wasn't in tied back in its usual style though. It was resting comfortably on his shoulders and at the same time his bangs put his eyes in shadows, meaning his forehead protector was gone as well.

"Itachi," Sakura mumbled softly. She was about to continue, just as Itachi lunged forward and Chii was suddenly hammered into the wall with a powerful kick from Itachi. As her body hit the wall heavily, dust fell down from the ceiling mimicking light rain.

Sakura was too stunned to even blink. She could only watch as Chii groaned and came to her feet, her palm supporting her ribcage. Her breathing was ragged.

Itachi smirked pleasantly.

"What crawled up your ass! I was only talking to her," Chii hissed loudly. Even though it had been a mere kick, it had been a damned violent one.

Itachi took a slow step forward, just as the window shattered with a splintering sound and a shadow gracefully jumped inside. Sakura let out a gasp and watched as the familiar frame crouched beside Chii in worry. A brief rush of relief surged through her body as she recognized the person.

"Itachi, what do you think you're doing?" Hajo snarled and placed a supporting arm around Chii's waist, attempting to help her up. She batted his hand away impatiently.

"He's just being an ass like usual! Marking his territory," Chii explained darkly, her other hand still clutching her ribs painfully tightly.

Sakura crawled a bit closer, still wrapped into the sheets of the bed, as it suddenly flashed before her eyes, a long forgotten memory surging through her mind.

"_Let me give this advice; obey him. You're in his territory"_

Sakura's eyes widened _…_ _**Kiiran**… _

"Chii, are you alright?" Hajo asked worried and once again tried to step closer to support her. She shoved him away and turned to Itachi, pointing her finger at him accusingly. Hajo desperately fought to keep his hold on her.

"You can't put a collar on her, Itachi! She's not your property," Chii hissed. Sakura was stunned. Chii actually stood up for her… The Chii that had laughed at her being chained to a pole. Itachi was staring at her emotionlessly, his eyes blank as the sea.

Sakura felt a shiver roll down her spine.

"I just don't see what your problem is. She's not a fucking item to be played with!"

Hajo tried to force Chii down onto a chair, "Chii, calm down. Your ribs, they're-"

"She's not your whore," Chii practically spat at Itachi. Sakura swallowed, her eyes blank with memories. Chii and Kiiran.

How dare he treat _them_ like that? Like worthless trash, when in reality they were so much more. Sakura breathed softly through her nose, watching the scene with escalating rage. How dare he… How could he… How… Just because they were women.

The _weak_ ones.

…_**Itachi**?_

"Stop!"

The words had left her mouth without her consent and under the shocked stares of Hajo and Chii, Sakura lunged forward, her body knocking Itachi's to the ground. Panting heavily, she found herself sprawled on top of him, her eyes wide in shock and realisation.

"…Sakura?" Chii breathed in astonishment, as she had stopped struggling against Hajo's grip. Itachi's body was frozen. He didn't even move a muscle. Sakura bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows. His breathing was even and soothing, as it swept over her scalp. Not what she had expected. She closed her eyes and tugged at Itachi's cloak, burying her face in his neck as if to escape the humiliating silence in the room. His dark and masculine scent instantly overwhelmed her.

"Stop it. All of you," she mumbled into his neck. Itachi was motionless and stayed blank to her pleadings.

The silence in the room continued mercilessly. Sakura could only feel the soft breathing of Itachi and cling to him in a desperate attempt to escape everything.

_Why is everything falling apart? I thought when I returned it would get easier. When I willingly offered myself to this stupid **stupid** deal things would be different…_

Sakura squeaked softly, as Itachi grabbed her elbow in a tight grip.

/"Nothing can ever be different"/

Then suddenly the door slammed open, Kisame stepped inside and the spell was broken. At least for Itachi.

Out of nowhere, he disappeared and left Sakura alone on the floor. She bumped her forehead ungracefully against the floor and looked at the empty floor beneath her with an astonished expression, though her featured quickly softened with hurt.

Why do I have the feeling… he didn't talk about the deal? 

_Maybe because you're too **stupid** to understand it? And besides where the hell is Kakashi and the others. They should've been here long time ago… trying to rescue me! But oh of course why would they care? It's not like you actually mean anything to them-_

The movement of Hajo and Chii forced Sakura back to reality.

"Kisame, could you help me out over here. Her ribs. I think they're broken."

Sakura… You need to improve your tactics. Clearly tackling persons do **not** go well… 

(-)

"What was that, sensei?" Naruto asked, adjusting his forehead protector casually. Sasuke sat on the branch above them. His emotionless eyes, slightly narrowed, scanned the area for any sign on disturbance. He had felt the chakra as easily as if had it hit him square in the face.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto. He couldn't help but wonder how Naruto could be so oblivious to the fact it was Kyuubi's chakra that had surged through the ground. He should've felt it stronger than him and Sasuke.

"We need to push the plans a bit," Kakashi mumbled as he stood up, carefully closing his precious book.

Sasuke jumped down from the branch right beside Naruto. Naruto sent him a glare and wiped off some dirt from his knee, before he got to his feet. His eyes gleamed with anticipation and impatience.

"How far is a bit?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. Naruto widened his eyes eagerly as if he once again was a child and Kakashi was waving a strawberry flavoured lollipop at him... But then no one quite knew whether he actually _had_ passed childhood yet.

"We're going in," Kakashi exclaimed. Sasuke and Naruto blinked and for once in their life they held similar expressions. Wide eyes, gaping mouth and arched brows. .

"_What_?"

"After you dragged us out here to set camp, you now want us to go in?" Sasuke asked stunned, his cold and uncaring attitude having vanished completely. Naruto still hadn't gained his voice back, but he managed to open and close his mouth several times, before he eventually had the courage to blink.

"You make no sense in what you're saying," Sasuke stated, his eyes now narrowed and his features back to their cold mask once again. Kakashi sighed lightly and shook his head. Sometimes they were just a little _too_ rebellious even for the great Copy ninja Kakashi.

"You said it would be dangerous for Sakura-chan if we barged in too early," Naruto pouted in confusion. Sasuke rolled his eyes at him and crossed his arms over his chest while throwing his dirtiest glare at Kakashi.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly and shrugged. His impatience was running low by now and either he would simply shut them out or end up exploding. And he certainly preferred to avoid explosion.

"Things have changed, now get up. Leave the camp behind."

"What? We can't leave-"

"You want to rescue Sakura?" Kakashi interrupted sharply, "Then you must trust me and for once do as I say!"

For several seconds the only thing that could be heard was the soft sounds of the forest. That was until Naruto looked at Kakashi with determination shining in his eyes…

"So we're going in?"

Kakashi nodded… _So… he's already drawn to it…_

(-)

Sakura took a deep breath. This was stupid. What should she say to her? "I was worried"? It's not like she would actually believe that. Sakura didn't even believe that herself, so why on earth would Chii believe it?

With a light sigh, Sakura looked at the solid door. The only thing blocking her from Chii. Hajo said it only had been her ribs, but still… She needed to know whether it was true what Chii had said about just being tools…

_But of course I can't do it. As usual I can't do it._

Sakura closed her eyes and leaned her forehead up against the wall. She was probably asleep now thought, she it wouldn't really matter. She could ask her later… hopefully.

"Scared?"

Sakura's eyes shot open and she stared straight into dark eyes, with the familiar strands of black hair covering them. She sighed and closed her eyes, turning her head away from him. She didn't have to will to push him further away from her, although he surely was invading her space. Why did that guy never give up? Why did he insist on torturing her like this. Though he had helped Chii when necessary but then again, they were related. He was kind of forced to take action to protect her.

"Go annoy Itachi," Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her hair, grimacing as a finger was caught in a knot.

Hajo smirked lazily and leaned back from her, crossing his arms casually and in that manner only he was able to manage without looking like a complete dork. He was a bit like Sasuke really. Well, if you ignored their personalities. They had the same moves at least.

"But you're so much more fun," he winked at her. Sakura rolled her eyes and was sure to glare at him right after. He slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the wall.

"Do you _ever_ have a complete serious thought?" Sakura snapped and tried effortlessly to break free from his grip. Her inside panicked as he started guiding her away.

"Why such a cold shoulder, love? It was only a harmless kiss," he drawled. Sakura shuddered, not at all comfortable with what was going on. His arm was heavy and seemed to push her down. All the more easier for him forcing her to follow him without complaints.

"Harmless my…", the feistiness blew out of her, "certain body part," she ended timidly. Hajo smirked and turned the corner with her.

"You mean harmless your-"

"I bloody well know what body part it is," she snapped impatiently. If he noticed her discomfort, he surely didn't acknowledge it. One secret part of her really wanted to just knock him out and be done with it. She wanted to talk to Chii.

"You sore?"

It was just as much the question as it was the gentleness in his voice, that made Sakura stop and state at him in pure shock. He rewarded her with his usual smirk.

"W-what?"

"Sore?" he repeated slowly, as if he was trying to teach her a new word. Sakura immediately flushed and with great effort she slapped his arm off her shoulder and clenched her fists, glaring heatedly at him. He was just as bad at Itachi…. And she still had to face him and his teasing for real…

"That's… That's none of your business," she hissed, her voice shaky and her cheeks a deep crimson. Hajo smirked wider and leaned closer, their noses touching. Sakura immediately pulled back and placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to keep the distance between them. He threw her hand on his shoulder a quick glance, then found her face more interesting and concentrated on that instead.

Sakura felt as if her mind had been torn open for him to read. _Sore_?

"Chii told me once it helps taking a bath, you know. Hot water. It relaxes your muscles," he continued in his lazy drawl. Sakura narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brows at him in sheer frustration and humiliation. How could he say that to her? And with a straight face?

Damn that guy! This is it, you just hit him and get it over with- 

"It's kind hard shutting up Chii when she has first begun! Do you wanna know what to do when a guy first enters-"

"_No_," she spluttered and instantly turned her back to him. Her face flushed even more, while she hurried away from him, yet she had only taken a few steps, as he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, dragging her with him.

"Very well then, but actually I came here to escort you back to your room," he explained and Sakura hurried to keep up with him, trying to pry his fingers off her wrist.

"What?"

"Itachi's order!"

Hajo sighed and pulled her up beside him. His eyes met hers and for a moment she was stunned at the sudden impatience glistening in those eyes. She had never seen him that determined or serious or… frightened… But why would he be frightened? Itachi just sent him to fetch her, right? She couldn't see anything dangerous in that.

"Excuse me?"

Hajo took a deep breath and turned to face her, his hand circulating in the air, as he spoke.

"The rules? You've already forgotten?"

Sakura stared bewildered at his circulating hands and then forced herself to focus on his face instead.

"Rules? But… but…I only went to see Chii-"

"Three hours. He thought you might wanted to use the rest tonight instead of wasting them on the afternoon! And you didn't really see her. You only saw her door," he added sarcastically and once again grabbed her arm and forced her with him. Sakura was sure by the end of the day her arm would have several hand marks upon it.

_But hey wait… If he knew I only stared at the door… then he was **spying on me**!_

"You were spying on me?" Sakura asked in disbelief and her eyes widened comically. Hajo raised an eyebrow and threw her a cold smirk. She glared.

"Forget it, what if I want to waste them?"

"Then you must take that up with him!"

"Would you be so kind to _escort _me to him then?" Sakura muttered impatiently. Even her patience had a limit and this was taking it too far. He could at least stop dragging her with him like some doll. It wasn't particularly fun for her part.

"As the lady wishes!"

Sakura flushed slightly, and yanked her hand arm free from him grip angrily. Hajo turned to face her with a scowl. Without meaning to, Sakura backed up a bit as she immediately felt intimidated by the unusual darkness on his face. Even the usual arrogant smirk was gone.

"Can I order the package without any of the smart remarks?" she muttered under her breath. Hajo smirked and shrugged and seemed to relax just a bit.

"I forgot the pricelist back at my room, but how about fifty withoutthe remarks!"

Sakura glared.

"You really can't help yourself, right?"

"Right indeed!"

(-)

Itachi stared at the map on the table. The scroll lay neatly beside it, pulsating ever so slightly with the red-glowing chakra surrounding it. Now that kid was bound to get here within a day or so. The chakra was calling out to Kyuubi so whether or not the boy liked it, he surely was going to get here. Not that he would resist, since Sakura was there as well.

Yet, soon… she would have to leave. When they got Kyuubi, she would have to leave. For her own safety. Itachi frowned. Not that he cared… right?

He sighed and carefully caressed the scroll, feeling the tingles of the powerful chakra clearing his head.

He did look forward to meeting her though. After he had finally done what everybody had urged him to do sooner. He smirked. And he hadn't been exactly nice not being there when she woke up, but then he had intended to come back. And he did come back. Unfortunately Chii was faster than he was.

"Hm…"

All of a sudden the door slammed open and a blur of pink and black strode into the room angrily. Sakura placed herself in front of his desk confidently, with courage gleaming in her eyes. She crossed her arms.

"Why did you make Hajo do this?"

Itachi smirked and ever so gracefully stood up from the chair. Amusement filled him as he saw a short flash of insecurity in her eyes. Pride. Once again.

Sakura swallowed her uneasiness at being this close to him. At least he hadn't thrown a comment about what they had done in between the sheets last night. Sakura blushed and immediately cursed at herself for doing so, as she noticed the predatory glint in his dark eyes.

"Do what?" he asked smoothly, moving away from his desk. Sakura narrowed her eyes to slits and tried to forget the fact it had suddenly become a lot more difficult to breathe properly.

"You _know_ what," she insisted and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. It struck her as odd that Itachi seemed so relaxed. As if a burden had been kicked off his shoulders. Maybe… No that was silly… Sakura flushed even more at her betraying thoughts and shook her head to clear her mind.

She glanced at Itachi. He had turned his back to her and busied himself with the maps on the desk.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you Itachi!"

"I don't need my eyes to _hear_ you," he muttered, his attention obviously not on her.

"But you do need your eyes to see the glare I'm giving you," Sakura muttered under her breath, her voice shaky with anger and rage. He could just be so annoying. Even though they had… then it wasn't any different from before!

I knew, I never should've done it. It gives nothing but trouble! 

"I've seen it before," Itachi replied casually, his voice flat as usual. Sakura gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"You are in_sufferable_! Even worse than Hajo," she snapped heatedly.

"Now you're stretching it," Hajo mumbled from the corner of the room. Both Itachi and Sakura spun around. Sakura in shock and Itachi in mild surprise. Hajo knew, he wasn't allowed in here when Itachi was with Sakura, so what on earth was he doing in here. He ought to be punished severely.

Itachi's expression hardened, and he glared at Hajo, "Leave us!"

Hajo glared back at him defiantly and shrugged.

"Just don't tear her apart like Chii," he grumbled, as he left the room. The door closed with a solid bump, leaving Itachi and Sakura all alone. Now that she knew she was definitely alone, it was as if all her courage suddenly blew out of her. As if Hajo presence had always been there in the back of her mind and had given her strength and courage.

Right now she only felt exposed and vulnerable… and weak…

She licked her lips nervously and tried to shrink back in the corner.

Itachi chuckled softly and turned to face her, advancing her slowly, as if he was a predator stalking her.

"It's funny, isn't it? The moment we're finally alone and you can let go of all your frustration and anger at me, you suddenly turn shy and timid. Now I wonder what could have made you take such a drastic turn?" he drawled.

"Take back the rules!"

Even to her own ears, her voice sounded pathetic and weak and within a mere heartbeat he was right in front of her, his intoxicating scent drugging her senses. He tenderly trailed his fingers down her jaw and under her chin, separating one finger from the others and gently lifted her head.

He inched closer, his hot breath fanning out on her neck and shoulder.

"Persuade me," he whispered huskily.

"This is not a joke. I mean it Itachi," Sakura tried once again, her voice only a low and shaky whisper. She was like butter in his hands… and she hated it!

"Persuade me," he whispered once again, before he rudely pushed her aside. Sakura blinked in astonishment and watched as he casually walked over to his desk, sat down and started to rummage through the maps and scrolls as if nothing had happened.

The shock quickly turned into anger though.

"Why did you hurt Chii?" Sakura demanded and for once, her voice obeyed her and actually sounded stern. Itachi didn't even glance at her.

"She interfered in what did not concern her!"

What. didn't. concern. her? Okay that's it pal, you are going down. So far down that Satan himself will take care of you and your sins! 

Without thinking about it even twice, Sakura slammed her palm down onto the table right beneath his nose. Ever so slowly, Itachi lifted his gaze and met hers. She was fuming by now. Her face a fierce crimson due to anger. A slow smirk spread on his face.

"She interfered to _comfort_ me after you…"

Sakura stopped. The word couldn't make it pass her lips.

"After I did what?" Itachi asked flatly, his eyes void of any emotion, "Say it!"

"After you…"

Once again the word got stuck in her throat. Humiliated Sakura averted her gaze down to the floor. Itachi titled his head and looked at her through lowered lashes.

"That's the harshness of reality, kunoichi! When you crave something, eventually you'll get it. Maybe not the way you wanted to but nevertheless you still get it! You got what you desired. The way you wanted to get it or not, only you can know. Now there's only one question left… do you _still_ crave it?"

**A/N:** Short chapter… Sorry folks :D

Originally the lemon-flashbacks are actually from an Inuyasha-story on my computer which I wrote months ago… Hey, I just got lazy! Hehe…

Okay... The final chapter is closing in. I can feel when I write that somehow the end is near, so I'm gonna warn you guys.

And I'm oddly happy right now… Don't know why though… hehe…

**Siy****** There… You got your lemon-flashbacks? That's okay or what? Seriously I just want to forget all the shit that happened and move on. Please?

**Black-Chicca:** God I love you. You're one of the few that actually made me believe you meant the story was good without any you-know-what. STILL I decided to do some lovely flashbacks. Hope the story got even better with those then.

**Blackbloodedkunoichi**: Here you get some delicious lemony-stuff then. Finally I ended up having the courage I needed to post at least some indecent writing. Hope it's not too much.

**Jennjennr****** AW! How cute. A little cuddly cat. I love cats. But I love kittens even more, but then they're just young cats and now I'm just rambling like a total idiot, so let's get back on track here. Uhm well, yeah, the scroll when activated, will draw Kyuubi to Sakura or actually it'll draw Naruto to Sakura. Hehe, and I loved the incest-thingy too. Partly why I made it of course. Hajo is such a horny bastard. I have no idea how I came up with him and his personality. Ew! Anyway, I think that was all… CUDDLY CAT!

**Hatake Kayume****** I'll try make more KakaSaku but it gets hard, when they're not the same places. But in the next chapters they'll meet and then I'll try blend in some KakaSaku-ness… even if it's just supposed to make Itachi jealous… I love writing him jealous.

**LoNeLyRiCeBaLl**: You're welcome then… hehe…

**Miakoda13**: Hm… Not that much ItaSaku in here… Sorry… And happy birthday by the way. Even if I'm out a bit late. And you'll get more ItaSaku in next chapter. This WAS a cliffhanger you know.

**Anime and Manga Girls****** Thanks for the support, but still I decided to do some flashbacks. Just to make sure you guys wouldn't end up entirely disappointed. It took a lot of guts to actually post such stuff, but yeah, I just hope it's not too detailed for you guys… and myself… But then I got worse stuff on my computer so yeah, I guess I'm a big pervert too XD And I love randomness as well! One day randomness will take over the world. Now apes. I never really believed that. You've seen that old movie about a guy being launched into the future and apes have taken over the world. SOOO stupid. Okay… I guess I got pretty random there… haha… Apes… haha

**PsYcHiC SeLiNa****** -sigh- No.. Unfortunately I don't know the rest of the members. I've only heard about them. Never really seen them or read about them. Curse Denmark. No anime or manga. At least not Naruto. But I just discovered yesterday that they actually had "Gravitation". I was like: "…WHAAAAT? You got yaoi but not the normal stuff?" O.O that was just plain wrong if you ask me… GRRR…

**La-Garce-Fille****** Oral exams... ...O.o...Okay... EW-name, but yeah. It's those exams…

**Jade Flame****** You got some lovely flashbacks ;) And you're too kind. I'm not a genius.. Though I'm pretty proud of those funny things I come up with. Gotta have some humour in this fic. And no, not a hot, steamy lemon. I'm afraid I would make it _too_ detailed… And that would not be good if anyone would end up being offended and my fic would be deleted. That must never ever happen. Hehe.. You get what I mean. I hesitate to post such stuff out of fear of removal.

**read-n-review****** Okay calm down! I know it's unfair. That's why I made the flashbacks!

**latoya****latoya****** …you got the flashbacks!

**Mela-Chan818****** YAY MY TWIN. LOVE YOU! AS ALWAYS!

**-Shinobi-Of-Sound-****** Exactly! You read my mind. Finally one who understands me. I CAN write lemons but I can't post them knowing others will read them. FINALLY! I'm so happy at least one person understands. And you just write those fics. I'm sure they'll end up being good. You got my support all the way and if you need help, just ask!

**Treval:** Nope. It doesn't HAVE to be "T"… And I never "promised" it in that way…

**Oni Review****** Hehe, I highly dislike SasuSaku. Sometimes I bother to read it and only because I'm bored. There are SOME good fics about them, but it's always the same plot and I hate that. I actually based this story on Sasuke and his seal. Wow. I actually found something good in Sasuke. Nah, he's alright and I like him but still I hate him. He can so obnoxious at times. Even more than Naruto I dare say. Either ways I love Kakashi and have never read Gaiden or whatever. That's probably why I still love him.. haha… And yep, the story is almost over… So sad. I can't leave my baby all alone. My story you know… my story, my baby… Not a real baby…

**xxdeath-fairyxx****** There's only a few chapters left… So sad…

**blackXheart****** THANKS! You understand me too with the whole lemon stuff. Only a few reviewers made me feel it was okay I had no lemon.

**Atayla the Nightmare Queen****** You get the flashbacks… Haha… And yeah I know age means nothing, BUT it's not that much about age. It's about personality. I'm just the more shy and timid kind of person you know.

**MisaoSeta:** Yay, you're mela's friend. Hehe, thanks… And my emo is just a shorter version of "emotions". My original name was FrozenEmotions and then I was Frozyemo/Frozzy, but thanks to you I found out what emo's actually could be. Haha… I never knew that…

**tytrix****** You wrote a pretty good review. Seriously. You're not that bad. And I improved my English through fanfiction. I read a lot you know. You can see how much I sucked if you read my earlier fics.

**Slytherin-Ice-Queen22****** There's only a few left… But I really don't want to end FOTS, but yeah.. I kinda have to at some point.

**UchihaSakuraXItachi****** -giggles- I got Itachi's diary! YAY! –flips through the pages excitedly-

**Ecla:** Yeah OC's as may-sues is a problem around here. I made many myself… haha…

**Akkirako Chikuro****** I could NEVER EVER forget you. Seriously. You sound a lot like me. I usually get 10 and 11 (B and A's) in language and I kinda half-suck at math. Haha. Funny. Oh yeah in Demark, our grades are 00,03,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13... I guess 13 goes as an A+ you know. The grade that you normally never get because it's so damn hard to get. Right? It is hard to get? The A? And yep.. Ita and Saku did get far. They actually DID IT! HAHA! I'm so damn evil. And you understand me and my lemon too. Hehe… I still made the flashbacks. Felt kinda bad I had disappointed so many. Just hope they still wanna read my story.

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including**jenfrog****Bloodrain15****Ishimaru-sama****AzNwitBra1Nz****in luv with cold hearted gu****ys, ****fantasy4luvr****IsabellaRosselinniYoung****Jixnce****Tsumii****MistressBlossom****sesshoumaru13****Super Blahblahblah****The Masquerade Moth****SatuAka****Heartless Ghost****Sabaku-No-Ardent****Rhonda21****animemistress419****sakura59515****theoneandonlydarkpowderpuff****sasukegrl****TheElementalWitch****'sayhellopunk-****Itachi's pet****moomoomoothegirl****, Chica De La Luna Fantasma, ****sh-kuro**** and Tiger**)

_**R&R**_

**-Frozzy**

18


	16. This Moment Is Mine!

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy-)  
**Category: **Action/Romance  
**Rated:** T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note: **If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

* * *

Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**Summary: **Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just _one_ male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & KakaSaku

* * *

**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By FrozyEmo

**Chapter Fifteen: This Moment Is Mine! **

_Do you still crave it?…_

She didn't have the courage - or was it strength? - to lift her eyes and meet his merciless ones. Instead, she closed her own eyes to block out the frustrating sight in front of her.

Was this really reality? Was it mere weeks ago she had been sleeping peacefully on her pillow back home in Konoha? Had she really lived beneath the roof of Akatsuki? But more importantly… Did she? Did she really crave the creature before her? The ruthlessness. The brutality. Did it really appeal to her?

"Kunoichi!"

She took a deep breath, "I never agreed to being your tool… your bait."

Her pink hair fell down and covered her face from him, as her head dropped towards her chest. She could feel his gaze on her and the lump in her throat grew in size. Had he really thought, she knew nothing of this? Of course, she had figured it out – a few seconds ago actually, but he _really_ didn't need to know that – and although she had briefly decided to just shut her mouth… it had blurted out nevertheless.

_**Enough**! I'm tired of always being left behind like some kid. What's so special about being mature, when everybody refuse to see you as one! _

_**We're **done with this shit! Let's just blow the whole fucking place and-_

"You're my property."

The ash of rage inside of her fired up to a consuming blur of flames and a bitter smile adorned her lips.

"Your _toy_," she said steadily, surprised that her voice was everything but weak. Itachi raised one eyebrow arrogantly and shot her a sideway glance.

"Toy or property, you still serve me," he commented flatly, his voice emotionless as usual. Sakura licked her lips absently and shook her head. She leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes. She felt the usual upcoming of frustrated tears, but she forced them back. The constant fight with herself. It was wearing her out. The temptation to just let go…

Rubbing her left temple, Sakura looked at the floor, still in refusal to look at the monster before her.

"How can a toy make you jealous then?" she muttered softly. Itachi let out a sinister chuckle and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, his fingers teasing her jaw line. Sakura stayed unaffected.

"If I remember correctly, you threw a tantrum at Kiiran, didn't you?" he asked mockingly. Sakura's eyes flew open and she stared at him in shock.

_And you fucking **killed** her you bastard!_

She slapped his hand away from her angrily, "That's different!"

Itachi stared at her silently, his smirk gone.

"Really? You saw me kissing her and you threw yourself on her. Is that not jealousy?" he asked flatly. Sakura furrowed her brows in frustration and gritted her teeth. This was _not_ the path this conversation should end up taking!

"Don't try shoving it onto me. I asked _you _why-"

"They overstepped the line," he interrupted her flatly. Sakura's mouth dropped. It was as though, she had been hit straight in the face with a rock with those exact words written on it, leaving a bit, fat print on her forehead.

_But… why do I care…Why do I feel… hurt?_

"_Honor_! That's all I am to you-…"

Her voice was effectively cut short, as he suddenly took a step closer. She let out a surprised yelp and backed into the wall.

Out of instinct, she lifted her hand to strike him, but he caught it easily and slammed it into the wall. Sakura choked on a gasp. She blinked at the sudden aggressiveness from his side and didn't even blush at the closeness of their faces. Not even when their noses bumped together.

"What are you doing?"

Itachi simply smirked in response and pulled out a kunai from his cloak. Sakura eyed it suspiciously, though she was quickly distracted from the item.

_I'm not supposed to be able to see every individual eyelash, am I? Or the flecks of chocolate brown in his eyes? Or smell that wonderful scent of… of… masculinity… and… and…_

"Only silly girls are foolish enough to fall in love, you know."

Sakura stared at him wide-eyed at his spoken words. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him placing the kunai on the table.

_Love… did he actually **say** that word?_

He merely let his gaze sweep down her nose and to her parted lips, where he narrowed his eyes and leaned a few inches closer. Sakura gulped and attempted to turn her head to the side but found the needed space lacking.

"I don't-"

"My little brother," he interrupted her smoothly. Sakura blinked and found herself lost in his depthless eyes. It took her several seconds to realise what he had just said. She furrowed her brows and tried to free her wrist although it was to no avail.

She sighed softly and closed her eyes. It was a weak attempt to try to forget the proximity they shared.

"Sas…," she choked on the word, "What about him? He's got nothing to do with us- _this_, to do with _this_."

…_Girl… Did you just say **us**? Like being a **couple**?_

Horrified Sakura's eyes shot open, and she frowned in disbelief. She had no time to recover though. A pair of strong hands grabbed her shoulders as Itachi forcibly pushed her down on the table -her hip accidentally slamming into it in the process-.

"A slip of your tongue, kunoichi?" he muttered darkly. A heavy blush covered her cheeks but quickly vanished, as she felt the sharp tip of the kunai pressing against her shoulder blade.

Itachi didn't seem to notice the dangerous weapon that he himself had placed there only minutes ago.

Sakura glared at him, saving her strength. She felt the usual rage burning inside her. Why did men always think they could overpower women? Treat them like dirt and expect them to wag their tail the next minute they choose to pat them?

"I don't even get why I bother having this conversation with you. It's pointless and will guide us nowhere-"

"I won't change," Itachi cut her off flatly. Sakura gritted her teeth and narrowed her jade eyes. She arched her back slightly to relieve the pain her back was suffering from due to her odd position. Itachi's eyes lit up with amusement, as their bodies rubbed against each other.

"I never said I wanted you to change! I like you for who you are, not-…"

Sakura's body tensed.

_Oh my god… did I say I… liked him! To his **face**?_

She didn't have time to act terrified, since Itachi gently grabbed her chin and forced her head closer to his. He arched an elegant eyebrow and inched closer. His lips brushed her jaw line, as he spoke.

"You ought to hold your tongue!"

Sakura looked at the ceiling flustered. His body heat was getting to her and she could already feel her body warming up instinctively. The accelerating heat, which circulated through her limbs, also had an effect on her breathing and made it deeper.

"And you ought to treat me better," she answered hotly; trying to ignore the itching feeling her body was currently riding on.

"…Would it be the same if I did?" Itachi whispered sultrily. Sakura swallowed and took a deep breath. Itachi leaned even closer and Sakura hissed, as the kunai bit into her flesh.

"You didn't have to chain me. You could've made permanent damage on my ankle," she snapped, too afraid of the kunai to struggle. Did he even know it was there?

_Probably! That bastard wants you to suffer! If we could just hit him in the place it hurts the most…_

Itachi suddenly moved back and locked their eyes. Sakura's breath hitched in her throat.

"You could've obliged me and not tried to struggle your way out of the chain," he said coolly, watching her intensely. Sakura blinked uncomfortably, feeling an overwhelming urge to break the gaze they were sharing. Itachi smirked and gently swirled a lock of her pastel hair around his index finger. He tugged it playfully.

Sakura looked at him darkly. What on earth was he doing?

"I wouldn't have to struggle my way out if it, if it wasn't there," she muttered dryly. Itachi's eyes darkened and he pulled the lock of hair harshly. Sakura lout out a squeak and desperately followed his hand to soothe the pain on her scalp.

She didn't even realise their lips were touching, before he spoke.

"I could easily chain you up again if you stay disobedient," he said icily, his warm breath tickling her tingling lips.

_God… It really sucks being attracted to your captor…I mean seriously, what can a girl do when a totally handsome guy decides to capture her and use her as a sex slave to a seal? Seriously! I would like to see Ino in my place. She would probably jump him though and-_

_**Hey!** Shut up and pay attention, girl!_

Sakura blinked bewildered and looked at Itachi. He looked at her, his face stoic. Sakura lifted her chin defiantly.

"I'm not scared of a stupid chain around my ankle," she hissed, but went quiet as his hand was suddenly around her neck. She stared at him horrified as his fingertips started tracing sensual patterns on the swell of her breasts.

He leaned close and nipped her jaw tenderly, a smirk curling the corners of his lips.

"Then how about one around your neck… attached to the bedpost?"

…**_What!_**

"B-bedpost?" she stuttered.

"Or maybe robe -no, silk- around your wrists and ankles? Would you like that, kunoichi? I could add a blindfold as well," he chuckled sinisterly. Sakura stared at him in complete shock, but much to her own dismay – and disgust – she found her body heating up at his words, and a pleasant tremble ran down her spine, as his fingers went a bit too low for her liking.

Oh god… I can't be **liking** this kind of talking… 

"Don't think bad of something you've never tried," he continued mercilessly, his teeth latching onto her earlobe, "You sure it's of no interest to you?"

_How **dare** he? I'm **not** a toy?_

His hand slid down to cover one breast and a string snapped inside of her, burning through her embarrassment and humiliation.

"Bastard!"

…She kicked him off her. Brutally and harshly.

Then - reacting out of instinct - her brain kicked into defensive mode. Her eyes fell on the kunai on the table without hesitation and she immediately picked it up, her hand grabbing it tightly. Her body swirled around posed for fight and then she froze.

It was aimed right at his throat. The kunai. Their eyes met. Sakura's frightened and hesitating. His dark and amused.

"What are you waiting for, kunoichi?" he mocked her sinisterly. Sakura opened her mouth, but no words left her lips.

"Scared?" he smirked.

Then, without warning, he took a confident step forward. The moment the kunai made contact with his throat…

…She dropped it…

A hollow sound echoed through the room as the kunai hit the floor, followed by deep silence.

Sakura stared at the kunai paralysed.

Then Itachi let out a breath and closed his eyes. He opened them and looked out of the window, his gaze emotionless.

"Rain's gonna fall soon," he stated calmly.

At the sound of his voice, Sakura blinked and her eyes saddened. Her arm fell down to her side and she parted her lips, slowly turning her head towards the window.

"…yes… it will…" she mumbled softly. Itachi closed his eyes and leaned up against the wall. A frown made it's way onto Sakura's forehead and she bit her lip.

_Maybe… just maybe…_

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped over the kunai and placed herself in front of Itachi. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her expectantly. Closing her eyes, she ignored her pounding heart and gently cupped his jaw.

Their lips met in a gentle embrace then parted, though after a moment of hesitation they were drawn to each other again. Sakura's entire body tingled with warmth and her hand trembled ever so slightly, as she sought out his. As their hands connected, their fingers automatically linked.

Sakura's eyes shot open, and she pulled back sharply, her eyes wide.

For a moment, their eyes locked and Sakura stopped breathing. Then the spell was broken and Itachi turned around and walked to the door.

As the door closed behind him, Sakura was frozen to the spot with her eyes glued to her hand.

(-)

Leaning against the door, he stared at his hand, his eyes narrowed.

"…Foolish…!"

"_Itachi_!"

(-)

Staring at her hand, Sakura frowned in frustration. Is was so… unfair… Why did he have to be like that? Why did he try to distance himself…

_Well, why **shouldn't** he? It's not like anything could ever work out- HEY! I don't **want** anything to happen! _

She let out a hiss and clenched her fist, her eyes glued to it. What was the point of this? It was like a loop. Every time emotions actually got involved, they would loop back to the emotionless state. Akatsuki were all the same. Kisame was just a mild version of Itachi. Hajo and Chii…. They weren't that cold and emotionless. Especially not Chii… Hajo was just a pervert, so that didn't really count for anything. He reminded her of Kakashi… really….

Gritting her teeth, Sakura swung her arm to the side and slammed her fist into the wall, "God, I hate him!"

"They're coming closer. Hajo's on guard."

Sakura tensed and calmed her breathing. Her head turned towards the door, the hushed voices coming from outside of it.

"Who's coming closer?" Sakura whispered softly to herself. Her feet moved before her brain had any chance to choose what to do. With careful steps, she reached the door and leaned against it nervously, pressing her head up against the door… never did it occur to her it would probably be a fabulous idea to mask her chakra, so they wouldn't know she was eavesdropping…

"When are they within our territory?"

Sakura fumed at his professional voice. They had just… and he could switch that easily? Sakura narrowed her eyes. Within our- _their_ territory?

_What the hell is going on… and how come I don't know? I should know! Sakura, you're getting lazy, girl. By the end of the month you'll probably be as fat as Ino-pig… not that she's fat… but it would look really funny if she was… _

You're getting off the subject, Sakura… 

_Hm… Haha, how about imagining Kakashi-sensei being fat… _

………

_What? _

"With the speed they're performing they'll be here by nightfall!"

Sakura's eyes widened comically. Nightfall? Speed? What… Could it be…

In the middle of her shock, she forgot the unbalanced position she was currently in and all of a sudden she lost her footing, banging her forehead against the door with a loud smack.

"_Ouch_!"

Her hand automatically reached for the doorknob and pushed down to steady herself. The door flew open and with a shriek her face met with the floor.

"Not good… definitely not good," she mumbled into the floor and managed to roll herself around… Only to meet the amused faces of Akatsuki.

"Please _do_ remember to lick up the dirt," Hajo smirked down at her, gesturing to the floor beneath her. Sakura flushed a deep crimson out of pure embarrassment. Chii glared at Hajo and smacked the back of his head.

"Men," she sighed, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance. Hajo pouted and rubbed his head, "crazy bitches!"

With a groan, Sakura pushed herself up in a sitting position. She didn't dare looking up. Dear god, she had just fallen through a door. What kind of a ninja _falls_ through a door? They're supposed to be kicked through doors… or kick others through doors… not _falling_ through them.

"Kunoichi, get up from the floor."

Sakura's head shot up in surprise to look at Itachi. He didn't look at her. His spine was straight and stiff. Sakura bit her lip to force back a sigh. What had she expected? For him to help her up? Like her knight in shining armour? Fairytales… just like her love for Sasuke…

She flattened her palm on the floor and pushed herself up smoothly.

Hajo looked at her with a troubled expression, "How do you plan to use her?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose and looked at Hajo offended, before blond hair invaded her vision.

"I'll take Sakura outside and meanwhile you can sort out this little… _thing_ without her hearing it?" Chii reasoned dryly. Sakura frowned and tried desperately to get a view of the men. Itachi didn't bother to look at Chii, but simply nodded his agreement.

And then, before she had a chance to protest, she was dragged out of the room by Chii.

(-)

Sakura yelped as Chii sped up and practically threw her through another thorny bush. Her body ached from the various bushes and trees Chii had dragged her through.

"_Chii_, I thought we were just going outside. Not into the forest," Sakura exclaimed and freed herself from the annoying cloak. Chii sent her a glare and forced the cloak back on her with hasty motions.

"Mask your chakra," she ordered harshly and scanned the area. Sakura furrowed her brows in confusion and ran a hand through her hair. She rubbed her scalp where a particular heavy branch had knocked down earlier.

_What the hell is going on here? _

"What?"

"Just do it," Chii hissed and grabbed her wrist, throwing her forward. Sakura landed awkwardly on her feet and spun around angrily. She was _not_ walking another step, until she knew what was going on. She didn't have to take this kind of treatment!

Before she could voice her anger though, Chii grabbed her and hurled her up on a tree branch. Sakura gasped lightly in surprise and quickly got a hold on the tree with her chakra. Chii jumped up beside her, looking her straight in the eye.

"You knew Kiiran?"

Sakura blinked, and her anger vanished as dew under the sun. When she didn't answer, Chii sighed and her eyes darkened as she sat down. A blond lock of hair fell down her forehead and covered her left eye.

"Kiiran was part of my bloodline," she muttered coolly. Sakura's eyes widened.

_Did she just say… But how? Kiiran never said she was a.._

"…What?"

Chii smiled bitterly, "Guess you didn't expect that. Most people don't since Kiiran was banished from my family. She probably didn't even know it herself."

But if she's… then is she… 

Sakura was still trying to overcome her shock.

"So are you…" she hesitated. Chii closed her eyes and nodded almost invisibly.

"Saving you," she answered smoothly. Sakura would've dropped dead if it wasn't for the fact she was currently sitting in a tree and dropping dead would assault in a few bad injuries from this height.

She looked at her hand and licked her lips.

"But… but you're Akatsuki: You're one of the bad guys… girls.. You're not supposed to- Is this a trap?" Sakura blurted out and eyed the surroundings suspiciously, suddenly fully alert. Chii raised an eyebrow at her and rolled her eyes.

"Do you think I would've bothered to do all this if it were? I would most likely confess my undying love for Kisame than doing this if it were a trap," she answered sarcastically and removed the lock of hair from her eye. Realising her stupid mistake, Sakura smiled sheepishly. After all what Chii said _did_ make sense.

"Oh…"

Chii sighed and looked around.

"Listen up, I've got no idea where your little friends are, but you better start trying to locate them before Itachi realises what we're doing or rather, what I have done and trust me, you don't wanna see what he's gonna do to me once he catches me."

Sakura rubbed her right temple and tried desperately to sort out her inner turmoil. This was not what she had expected. Chii… saving her? Was this some kind of alternate universe? Chii - who had to some extent always despised her, yet liked her – was suddenly saving her from her hell?

Although… was it really her hell?

Sakura's eyes briefly glanced at her hand.

"Why are you doing this?"

"He killed Kiiran… you could say rage or revenge, whatever suits you the best! I don't care what, he'll do to me. For once I wanna act out of my own wishes… not his!"

Sakura looked at her in surprise.

"But Chii-"

"_Sakura-chan_!" A sudden familiar yell pierced through the air. Sakura's heart skipped a beat and she looked down at the ground.

She found herself looking at a blond male dressed in orange. He waved cheerfully at her, just as two other figures emerged from the bushes. Sakura felt her heart swell inside of her chest.

"N-Naruto?" she whispered, her voice holding an edge of happiness. She felt Chii stiffen beside her and she blinked, suddenly realising where this could easily be going. And sure enough, just as she had thought, she saw Naruto's eyes darken and he suddenly pointed a finger at Chii.

"Hey you ugly woman, let go of Sakura-chan," he yelled. Sakura immediately recognised his position for fight and quickly jumped down from the tree. She landed securely on her feet and waved her hands desperately at Naruto.

"_No_ Naruto. She's good… well, she _is_ bad but she's good," Sakura burst out and Chii landed on the ground a few feet behind her, a smirk plastered to her face.

Sasuke stepped forward and grabbed Sakura's wrist, forcing her to look at him. Sakura let out a gasp and tensed as their eyes locked, her own wide with sudden fear.

_Itachi…_

Sasuke frowned at her edginess and let go of her.

Naruto blinked and looked at them in confusion.

"Sakura-"

"She's part of Kiiran's bloodline," Kakashi interrupted Sasuke. Sakura's eyes flew towards Kakashi and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Her sensei. Finally, someone she dared to rely her trust upon… she ignored the slight shiver of pleasure running down her spine at the sight of him, but unfortunately, she couldn't quite hold down the blush on her face.

_Stupid seal…_

Chii smirked seductively and stepped closer to Kakashi. He eyed her emotionlessly.

"Well well well, the famous copy-ninja. Now please _do_ tell me how you figured it out?"

Sakura felt her mood darken at the thick and sensual accent Chii's voice had suddenly developed when talking to Kakashi. The little green monster inside of Sakura emerged in the depths of her mind.

"Hm, Kakashi?" Chii smirked and reached out, touching Kakashi's arm in a light caress. Kakashi let his gaze sweep down her body judgingly and upwards again. Chii titled her head to the side and stepped even closer, her body language telling everything not spoken.

She felt her heart flame up and she bit her lip in confusion. Was she… _jealous_?

"Sakura, can we trust her?"

Kakashi's deep voice cut through her state of confusion and Sakura shook her head. If Kakashi, or one of boys for that matter, had seen her moment of envy they didn't let it show.

"I'm… not sure sensei," she mumbled weakly and avoided looking at him.

_Sakura, get a **grip**. Kakashi would never… with the enemy… and besides you have Itachi… hey wait- you **don't **want Itachi! God, this is **so stupid**! You can't have both- I **don't** want both! I don't want **any**. I don't-_

"It doesn't really matter. I'm going to stay with you nevertheless. When Itachi's on the hunt, you guys will be blind in this area of the forest. I know the forest just as well as he does," Chii claimed and slid her hand upwards to rest on Kakashi's bicep.

Sakura grit her teeth. He could at least push her away. Out of loyalty to Konoha _and_ to them! Sakura looked at Sasuke and Naruto. Both of them looked equally angry. Guess she wasn't the only one being pissed off!

"And you want us to trust you?" Sasuke growled at Chii. Chii shrugged casually and finally stepped away from Kakashi. Sakura let out a soft sigh and relaxed.

"Sasuke…", Kakashi scolded his student and then looked at Chii, "come with me."

Chii winked at Kakashi, "of course!"

Sakura watched in complete shock, as the two of them left the clearing. Naruto looked around uncomfortably and Sasuke narrowed his eyes the place where they had left.

_**WHAT** did just happen? That is **my** sensei!_

With a sigh, Sakura let herself drop to the ground. She threw her arms around her knees and rested her chin on her knees.

_It's his decision… and they could just be talking, you know…_

Sakura looked up in surprise, as Naruto sat down beside her. He smiled cheerfully at her and Sakura felt herself crack her own little smile. She couldn't help it. He was just so… boyish! He could change her mood no matter how sad she was. Actually, now that she thought about it, she wouldn't trade him for anyone else. Not even Sasuke.

"So Sakura-chan, you're okay?" he asked concernedly. Sakura nodded and punched his shoulder playfully.

"I'm great! How did you find us by the way?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"I kinda smelled you," he laughed and shrugged. Sakura smiled.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You should probably try _not_ to unleash any of Kyuubi's chakra. If you do we're most likely dead by the end of the day… and _not_ by Itachi," she added silently. Naruto looked at her worriedly and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Sasuke's cold voice turned the air to ice.

"What did he do to you?"

Sakura visibly flinched and looked nervously at Sasuke. What was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly fear him? Naruto noticed as well and frowned. Sasuke looked at her emotionlessly. He frightened her. Itachi had obviously done something to her. Sasuke gritted his teeth. Sakura could only fear him because he reminded her of Itachi… _Damn_ that bastard! What did he do _this_ time! If he took away Sakura as well… _damn him_!

"Do?" Sakura spoke softly.

Sasuke didn't know what possessed him, but the next thing he knew, was that he had a solid grip around Sakura's throat and was forcing her down onto the ground.

Sakura gasped for air and stared in complete fear at Sasuke. Naruto blinked and gaped at them.

"_Answer_ me," Sasuke hissed and tightened the hold around her throat. Sakura let out a weak attempt speak.

"Sakura-chan!"

Without hesitation, Naruto jumped onto Sasuke's back and grabbed a hold around his throat as well. Sasuke growled and tried to force him off, while Sakura tried to roll them around. They ended up fighting each other on the ground in a tangled mess of limbs.

"She can't answer your question with you blocking out air to her lungs, boy," Chii's voice cut through the air.

Everyone stopped breathing and turned their heads towards Chii and Kakashi. Chii seemed… angry… Sakura frowned. Just _what_ had sensei said to her?

Naruto was fast to use the opportunity of shock and suddenly smashed his fist into Sasuke's face. He literally flew off Sakura, who instantly got up on her knees, rubbing her sore throat.

"What are you doing you crazy psycho," Sasuke yelled at Naruto.

"That's none of you business you fool!"

"Don't call me that, jerk!"

"Don't call me jerk, moron!"

"Hey, I'm not a moron!"

"Could've fooled me, _moron_!"

And as usual Naruto was the first one to jump Sasuke and then it went on from there. Sakura smiled sadly. If it hadn't been this situation the nostalgia of this would've warmed her heat with happiness.

She could vaguely make out Chii's cheering from the sideline of the fight.

Sakura sighed and rubbed her throat one last time, before a shadow fell on the ground in front of her and the person crouched down. Sakura instantly tensed as the warm rush flew through her veins and her cheeks turned a light pink.

Kakashi noticed and judging by the way the shadows fell on his mask, Sakura realised he was smiling.

"The seal?" he muttered softly and Sakura nodded.

"You shouldn't be that close to me. Remember what happened last time," she wisely remarked and sighed softly. She expected him to stand up and leave. To do what her sensei would have done, but unfortunately, he decided to turn to being her friend and not her sensei.

He reached out and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"I take my chances," he spoke casually, as if he had just stated water was wet. Sakura stared at him in shock and felt the now familiar itch in her thighs starting to fill her entire body.

_Hungrily his tongue coaxed hers to a sinful game and deepened the kiss. He let his tongue slide across the length of hers in one long and soft movement, making warm shivers appear all over her._

Sakura gasped lightly and stumbled backwards and away from Kakashi. He looked at her in astonishment but then smiled and stood up. Sakura's gaze involuntarily followed his body's movements like a sly cat would eye its prey.

She still remembered fragments of the moment, where she had seen his face. Flawless. Not a single scar besides the one cutting through his eye. Straight nose. Strong and masculine jaw. Where Itachi was a lot more feminine, Kakashi was a lot more masculine.

Sakura blushed heavily and blamed her thoughts on the damn seal.

"That's right… resist it," Kakashi muttered to himself, as if she wasn't even there. He then turned towards the boys.

"We're retiring for the night, boys!"

Slowly Sakura got up and followed Kakashi. Chii went up to walk beside her and slowly the boys stopped fighting and followed the rest of them while sulking.

Sakura looked at the sky.

"_Rain's gonna fall soon," he stated calmly._

"…_yes… it will…" she mumbled softly._

Without realising it, Sakura had stopped walking to stare at the sky.

"Sakura?" Chii spoke quietly. Sakura turned around and looked at Chii, smiling sadly.

"…It's gonna rain… You see it?"

Chii shook her head at her and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as well. She placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and ignored the glare she got from Naruto behind them.

"You're being silly!"

"_Only silly girls are foolish enough to fall in love, you know."_

Sakura stared at her own hand.

"…Guess I'm just being silly then…"

**

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A/N: Next chapter****… Was _supposed _to be the end, BUT I got an idea as you can see and now the story is gonna go on! YAY!** Next chapter 

And I promised someone long time ago (I have forgotten who it was) to get a flashback of Kakashi face, so yeah… here it KINDA was!

SORRY! I've been writing non-stop these last days as I realised it's been ages since I updated! O.O BUT then I got ANOTHER writers block in the middle of the chapter… but enough of my sorry excuses XD

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**Preview Of Chapter 16:**

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"What did you say to Chii? You know back in forest when you left with her?"

"Adult talk!"

"Excuse me?"

"A talk between adults, Sakura!"

"I know what you meant, but I'm not a kid or your student anymore Kakashi and I demand to know what you said to her!"

"Close your eyes!"

"W-what?"

"Close your eyes!"

"Why? That is completely irrelevant-"

"Sakura, just close your eyes!"

"But-"  
"Do it!"

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Review Responses: 

**The Masquerade Moth:** Aw, that's so cute. You were worried something had happened to me. Well, let me tell you, I'm just being lazy, that's all. AND I'm having writer's block. As usual. Guess I have to live with that through my entire carrier as fanfiction writer… hehe..

**PsYcHiC SeLiNa:** If you want to, you could explain Sasori (or something) and Deidara? Only if you want to. I would be REALLY grateful! I seriously need more info on Akatsuki. And many people has asked me if I'm gonna have D and S in it and I'm like: "sniff… sniff… I DON'T KNOW THEM… cry… cry… cry…" you get my point?

**xXSakakiXx:** It WAS going to be over, BUT I decided to make it longer by adding more plot… hehe… And no matter how sad it is, I won't tell you who Sakura ends up being with. It would spoil the entire story, ne? Itachi is interested. I bet you figured that out in this chapter, huh? And Kisame… love? …… EW! Don't even make me think writing stuff like that. Not that I don't like him. I think he's cool, but him! Love! NO WAY I'm not gonna write something like that… Mostly because I can't. I have to like the guy in that special way, if I wanna write him sexy! You get what I mean?

**Atayla the Nightmare Queen:** I'm gonna review your story soon! Don't worry. I'm just busy right now. School and stuff.

**La-Garce-Fille:** Yep.. A VERY nasty name... I already hate the word oral, so yeah… ew -shudders-

**konohaGiRL:** Hehe, there WAS kakasaku, but not THAT much. There'll be in the next chapters naturally. And then Chii can make Sakura jealous and confused. I just love it when stuff like that happens. It's so much fun to write that stuff, but I guess it's just me.

**SabakuNoBrandye:** In this chapter he softened just a bit, right?

**XUchihaSakuraX:** And, as you probably have read in my a/n, I've added more plot so the story can keep going. I eventually found out it was too precious to me to end so soon. I can't live without this damn story. I'm addicted to it. It's sad really..

**Miakoda13:** No hajosaku, BUT a lot of kakasaku in the future chapters.. and that number 18, it's some weird number I always edit out when I'm posting the story. I don't know why it's keep popping up. It's REALLY weird. Aw, they didn't say happy b-day! DAMN THEM!

**Jennjennr:** Nope, not coming to an end soon. I changed my mind. It's too precious to me to end it already so I added more plot… MUAHAHAHA! I'm so evil… and I like cats too… and chocolate… and books… and lollipops… And wow, you like my OC's that much… I think they're just normal. I don't like them THAT much but I guess I just have talent for creating good OC's, since other people have said that as well. That they like my OC's… haha…

**xxdeath-fairyxx:** I know what you mean… I hate that too!

**Anime and Manga Girls:** Haha, you saw it in a commercial. Cool! Hehe… And yeah, my teacher says half of it is talent and the rest is practise, so I suppose I just originally had talent and then just happened to have practised a lot. I mean seriously, look at my first story… It's so EW! I HATE that story. Compare that one to this one and that my developed through a year! Almost through a year I think. I started posting my first one (Teenagehormones) in 7th grade (13-14 years old – Danish school system) and that's one -almost two years- ago now!

**UchihaSakuraXItachi:** Naruto'll live… hehe…

**Shiva Shakti:** Of course they're in love… hehe… I mean seriously… this story would suck if they weren't…

**sasukegrl:** Good writing skill.. I have NEVER written a lemon before!

**Jade Flame:** haha. Your review was the funniest ever… Haha, a creepy librarian... sorry, it's just so funny!

**blackXheart:** Nah, It's kinda hard to explain, but you'll understand later on…

**Lady Hokage Tsunade**: Don't worry… I decided to make it longer!

**Black-Chicca:** It makes sense… And I guess you're right. It's probably because I like to confuse the reader so it keeps reading to get the answer. But if you wait too long to give the answer, the reader might give up on finding it… hehe… I suppose that's what I do. Writing questions and answering them!

**Sabaku-No-Ardent:** Love your reviews… so funny!

**grey 0 mage:** mind-sex? HAHA! God, that made me laugh when I read it! Sorry, but I just never expected that!

**MisatoNoYume:**YAY! COOKIE!

**My-Crimson-Tears:** You read the whole freaking thing! Wow, how on earth could you do that? But I'm very happy you liked it that much of course.

**Psychotic Muse:** Well thanks. I'm glad you like my story that much. I just wish for more reviews actually. Many people like this story, but then look at leafygirl. She's a fantastic writer. Almost a legend. Her stories are awesome. Hers are the best stories! At least I think so… hehe…

**Myu-dono:** Yep… I WILL write other stories BUT this is not over yet. I decided to make it longer

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including: **Blackbloodedkunoichi, ****animemistress419****jenfrog****Itachi's-Gurl41****Rhonda21****Ishimaru-sama****Oni Review****MistressBlossom****Tofu-Master****Moon Titan****, SakuraHatake, ****latoya****Malaysia Harika 09****Heartless Ghost****ecla****AzNwitBra1Nz****Natsu Yukili****Chica De La Luna Fantasma****'sayhellopunk-****tytrix****Ryo Yuriko****in luv with cold hearted gu****ys, ****Hatake Kayume****dreammist4ever****sky diamond****, I Speak Only the Truth, ****Sage347****, Sadiztik Torture, ****Jixnce****Sakura and Itachi Forever****TinyMinx****Princess Jaz****heartless soul****, Kelly, Alexandria18, samireh, KLW14, Earwen Telrunya, zoebabii328, shadow miko, Ginny-cry**.)

**-Frozzy**


	17. Play With Fire & Burn Your Fingers

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura 

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy)  
**Category:** Action/Romance Rated: T(M), because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note:** If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

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Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

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**Summary:** Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just one male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

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_**This chapter is dedicated to some of the persons supporting me the most on and being some of my best friends (possibly more):**_

**Mela-chan (Mela-Chan818) **

**Scarlet (Rising Pheonix) **

**Haru-chan (blackbloodedkunoichi)

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**

**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By Frozyemo

**Chapter Sixteen: Play With Fire and You'll Burn Your Fingers**

An owl let out a drawn out hoot into the night, and she sighed in frustration. Why couldn't she fall asleep? Sakura stared at the flames from the crackling fire. She was wrapped up in a spare sleeping bag the boys had carried with them. She let her jade orbs wander off to Naruto and Sasuke, sleeping peacefully beside her.

Chii had gone out to erase the damages from their earlier fight. It would only lead Itachi to them, she had said, although Sakura didn't quite trust her on that one. That was partly the reason she didn't dare close her eyes even though her eyelids were heavy with lack of sleep.

The moment she was in the arms of her old team, it was as if all her strength, she had saved, had blown out of her and she was once again allowed to be the less strong one.

With a sigh, Sakura rolled onto her back and gazed at the night sky. The stars sparkled with their unique astral beauty. When she had been a child, she had always believed the reason to the stars twinkling, was because they were winking down at her. Pretty foolish, but after all a kid is a kid and each and everyone has tried being a kid.

Looking to her side, she caught a glimpse of Kakashi. He was sitting up against a tree, his entire frame covered in shadows. She could make out the vague sight of a certain orange book in his hands and she rolled her eyes.

_That's sensei in a nutshell…_

He looked peaceful though and the sight of her former sensei reading that familiar book created a lump in her chest. She really was back together with them.

She bit her lip and after a moment of hesitation, she sat up. Kakashi didn't even acknowledge her. He probably already knew, she wasn't asleep though.

"Kakashi?" she mumbled softly and ran a hand through her hair to get a better look at him. His eyes didn't leave the precious pages of his book, but she noticed him turn his head a few inches in her direction.

She tugged her borrowed jacket from Naruto tighter around herself – she had thrown away the Akatsuki cloak, much to Chii's dismay – and took a shuddering breath.

She then got up on her feet and padded quietly over to him. With much effort she managed to sit down rather comfortably, or as much as it now could be, beside her sensei. The natural warmth of his body worked just as well as the warmth from the fire. With a light blush, Sakura leaned a bit closer to steal some of that warmth. If he had noticed, he didn't say anything.

Sakura turned her eyes to the sky, concentrating of the light pleasurable buzzing in her thigh.

_Funny… it's not that powerful when I'm with sensei…_

Eventually she turned her eyes on Kakashi.

"What did you say to Chii? You know back in forest when you left with her?" Sakura asked lightly, though her voice was rather strained. She could've sworn, she saw Naruto open an eye, as she spoke, but her suspicion was quickly left behind, as Kakashi spoke.

"Adult talk."

Sakura blinked. He hadn't even lowered the book to _look_ at her! And what! Adult talk? After all what she had been through, he dared saying that she wasn't an adult? Or at least as mature as an adult!

"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief. Kakashi kept reading.

"A talk between adu-"

"I _know_ what you meant, but I'm not a kid or your student anymore Kakashi and I demand to know what you said to her! I think all of us deserve an explanation," she snapped impatiently. Kakashi didn't respond to the accelerating height and sharpness of her voice. Sakura gritted her teeth angrily and didn't know whether to pout or scowl at him.

Then all of a sudden – out of rage – she put all her strength into her hand and prepared to slap the book away, _but_… she should've known what would actually happen.

His hand shot forward and grabbed her wrist in a tight grip and finally he lowered the book, looking her straight in the eye.

"Close your eyes," he ordered and placed the book beside him. Sakura stared at him in astonishment and tried desperately to wriggle her hand out of his grip.

"W-what?"

"Close your eyes," he repeated calmly as he stood up. Sakura stared at him bewildered, completely thrown off guard.

"Why? That is completely irrelevant-"

Sakura was frozen to the spot, as she felt his form kneel down behind her, and suddenly she felt his fingers on her temples. A heavy blush covered her face, and she fought to stand up, but he pushed her down with his hands on her shoulders.

_GAH! What the hell is he doing? Why is he… what… why… **sensei?**_

"Just close your eyes," he muttered, trying to hide the smile on his lips. Sakura inwardly preached that all of the others were in deep sleep. She swallowed and tried to calm down her pounding heart. This was _not_ the way he usually treated her!

"But-"

"Do it," Kakashi ordered mildly. Sakura sighed and forced herself to relax.

"Now what?" She muttered stubbornly. Kakashi smiled lightly. She might have grown into a mature young woman, but no matter how she tried to disguise it, he still could read her every emotion simply through her body language. Virgin indeed…

"Relax!"

Kakashi shook his head. Women and their emotional mind. Years of practice had taught him how to read her, and he knew for a fact that she covered up her embarrassment with anger and proud stubbornness.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion.

_This is **stupid**. The only thing it does is making my head pound and ache… not to forget every other part of my damn body… traitor… God, I hate this… He's not making it any better. I ought to-_

"Sensei this it utterly _stupid_! What good does it-"

"Sakura."

With a sigh, Sakura rolled her eyes. Her cheeks still flamed, and she tried desperately not to pull away from him. Not that he had touched her, but she really wasn't used to her sensei sitting right behind her, his hands on her shoulder, preventing her from running away.

"Fine. Have it your way. You're worse than Sasuke in matters like these," Sakura grumbled and looked out into the darkness, as she suppressed a shiver whether from cold or… something else, she couldn't quite figure out.

Kakashi eyed her curiously. She was tense. Stress radiated from her form. It didn't come much as a surprise though. After all, she had been with Akatsuki for weeks by now. Of course, it would wear her out eventually… not to forget she probably wasn't comforted by their position either.

Sakura tensed even more, as she felt him dip his head closer to her ear.

"Listen," he ordered and let go of her shoulders. It took all her willpower not to stumble away from him. She swallowed harshly.

"You're not saying anything," she then protested dryly. Kakashi sighed and smiled at her. She could be such a child at times. Even worse than Naruto… Okay, maybe that was an overstatement. _Nobody _could be worse than Naruto…

"Not to me. Just listen."

Sakura blushed heavily and lowered her head to put distance between his mouth and her ear.

"But-"

"Inhale and exhale through your nose. Deep breaths!"

She could practically feel his chest brushing up against her back in time with _his_ breaths. It was a wonder, he hadn't noticed how uncomfortable this made her. Or how much he affected the damn seal. Hey, he _should _know!

"Sensei, what are you trying to…"

She instantly bit back her words, as she realised they were quite breathier than usual. Kakashi smirked slightly and shook his head. He had no idea, why he was doing this. Damn seal. He felt so… guilty… but at least he had tried this before.

"Don't you think it's time to drop that title? You said it yourself. You're not a kid anymore," he spoke lightly. Sakura nodded numbly, not really listening.

_That _was when it really went down the wrong path. Sakura felt him shift lightly, believing he was moving away from her, and was about to breathe a sigh of relief. The sigh of relief though, drowned in a sharp intake of breath, as Kakashi slowly started massaging her tense shoulders.

_What the hell is happening here! I can**not** be doing this! _

"Sensei, stop groping Sakura!"

Sakura's wide eyes instantly went to look at Naruto in horror, sitting on the ground and glaring at Kakashi.

_Why the hell isn't that immature brat asleep!_

"_Naruto_! He's not- he's _not groping_ me," Sakura claimed offended and felt the weight of Kakashi's hands on her shoulders shift, as he applied more pressure. Sakura felt herself starting to melt. Okay, she wasn't one to deny that he in fact _did_ know how to give a massage, but she didn't have to say it out loud... right?

"Sure looks like it to me," came Chii's reply from the shadows. Sakura sighed heavily.

_And when did **she **come back? _

"Hey, don't you agree with me you dumb lady," Naruto accused Chii and pointed at her with his finger. Chii crossed her arms nonchalantly and threw Kakashi a hasty glance – which made Sakura frown in distaste – before she turned her full attention to Naruto, her smirk arrogant and nasty… not ladylike at all.

_What's wrong with her? She can be so nice one minute– not to mention the countless times she has saved me from Itachi – and then a total bitch the next. Wait… She's Chii…that explains everything… Oh well, at least Sasuke is asleep. Spares me for the ultimate humiliation._

"Lady?" Sasuke muttered from his sleeping bag. Sakura blinked.

…_Note to self: buy a gravestone as soon as possible_

"Stupid _kid_, you question my sex again and you're dead meat," Chii growled at Sasuke. Slowly he sat up and threw her a glare.

"Don't you threaten Sasuke," Naruto warned her. Sakura smiled slightly. Well, at least those two could work together on this one. Kakashi pushed her head downwards carefully into a better angle and intensified his touches. Sakura shivered and praised God that he had blessed her with this wonderful sensei.

"And what are gonna do? Release your pet-fox on me?" Chii muttered murderously. At some point Sakura wondered why Kakashi never stopped the verbal fight that was going on, but she forced the thought aside, since she was busy enjoying her sensei…

Sakura blinked.

_Wow…**That** came out wrong…_

"It's not my pet, and I could beat you even without it," Naruto exclaimed proudly and narrowed his eyes at Chii.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Count me in on it," Sasuke snarled and stood up beside Naruto. Sakura started to grow worried and tried to turn her head and look at Kakashi, but he kept her head in place, completely ignoring what was going on around them. Sakura frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced as the massage suddenly turned… different…

The intense rubs and pushes, turned into gentle strokes and tender touches.

"As if I couldn't handle you two. You're nothing compared to me."

Sakura's breathing deepened and her eyes widened as her thigh started buzzing again. What was he doing?

"Well that's odd, because I don't see us lying on the ground beaten to death yet!"

One of his hands slid down to her shoulder and pushed her backwards against him, while the other went for her hair, gently running his fingers through it.

"Yeah, you ever considered it all to just be in your mouth!"

The conversation going on between those three slowly slid into the background and Sakura swirled into her own little world with Kakashi.

"When it's not loaded with crap… literally?"

His breathing was calm against her neck and Sakura's body had a mind on it's own as it began to shudder with warmth. Her eyelids grew heavy, causing her gaze to turn dazed and unfocused. She couldn't hear anything. Only their breathing. Hers faster than his. His in control. Hers uncontrolled.

"I'm gonna get you two little bastards! Just _wait_!"

Sakura let out a shaky breath and her body arched slightly, as his fingers trailed down the back of her neck.

"What do you think we're doing? Waiting for us to grow old and wrinkly?"

He leaned closer and Sakura willingly closed her eyes.

"Sakura…," he uttered softly into her ear,"…fight it!"

Oh god… 

As if a robe snapped inside of her, Sakura's eyes shot open, and she stumbled wildly out of Kakashi's lap. Before she knew, what she was doing, she jumped to her feet and did the only thing she had always been good at…running…straight into the bushes and into the darkness of the forest, her heart hammering in her throat.

She could vaguely make out the yells behind her, but only one thought circulated in her mind…

_What's happening to me…?_

(-)

"I never asked for this."

Her knuckles hammered into the tree forcefully, and she grimaced from the numbness in her fist, which had appeared after the tenth hit.

"It's _not_ fair."

Sweat covered her forehead and her fist had turned an alarming colour of bluish and purplish, scratches and blood covering her knuckles. Nevertheless, it took more strength stopping than continuing.

_They didn't even run after me. They didn't **fucking **come after me!_

"_Bastards_!"

Splinters flew out from the tree, as Sakura hit it with renewed force.

"Sakura?"

Sakura froze and her hand slowly went limp and dropped to her side. She blinked and then glanced over her left shoulder in puzzlement and astonishment. And sure enough, it was him.

Out of everyone, he had been the _last_ one she had expected to see.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, as he looked at her hand. The odd colouring didn't go by unnoticed and the smudged blood wasn't that hard to oversee either. Sakura hesitated then chose to ignore him and turned to the tree once more.

She stared hard at it, her eyes focused on the one damaged spot at the size of her clenched fist.

"You shouldn't hurt yourself like that," he commented casually. Sakura could almost see his posture. His hands in his pockets and his eyes averted away from her. His _usual_ posture. She wasn't _that_ ugly to look at really.

"Where are the others?"

"They're coming this way soon."

"Oh…"

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them. Sakura looked up at the sky, as a raindrop decided to fall on her left cheek. She blinked and a sad smile appeared on her lips. Heavier drops began to fall and she closed her eyes, the fresh scent filling her nostrils like an expensive perfume.

"Sakura… about before…"

Her shoulders tensed at his uneasy voice.

Come on Sasuke… I know you can say it… just say it… 

She licked her lips absently and suppressed a shiver of cold, "Yes?"

She could almost taste his hesitation and for a nanosecond, she dared to believe he would cross that invisible line blocking his path, but then again she only _believed_.

"It was… I don't know…"

Her smile grew, and she shook her head.

…_You just refuse you change, don't you? Well... I guess it's a good thing… staying on safe and known ground. Sometimes though, Sasuke, it's better to discover unknown territory…_

With her wet hair swirling in curls around her face, Sakura turned around to face him, a smile on her face.

_Believe me… it is… _

He looked at her with those onyx eyes, and Sakura felt her heart swell with happiness, as a sudden realisation hit her. It didn't matter how much he resembled Itachi…in the end he was Sasuke and nobody else…

"Well, well, what do we have here? A lover's spat?"

…_**Shit**?_

Sakura flinched and nearly broke her neck to look at the direction of the voice, just as two men in black familiar cloaks jumped down from a branch high above. Sakura felt her blood run cold and her entire world blurred.

"Oh god," she breathed, "that was fast!"

She did not even flinch, as the larger of the two flew past her and knocked the unprepared Sasuke to the ground. He growled angrily and immediately activated his sharingan, although his face was literally pressed into the ground.

"_Aw_, how about a friendly hello?" the mocking voice purred at Sakura. She didn't have the strength to move. She only closed her eyes tighter, as he slowly began walking in a large circle around her.

"Hajo, please understand-"

"I absolutely love it when my name slips of your lips," he interrupted her nonchalantly. Sakura tired to glare at him but failed miserably. She sighed and spared a look at Sasuke. He was watching her in surprise… maybe even… no…

"Itachi don't like it when you-"

"But it's so much fun. You get flustered so easily," Hajo exclaimed excitedly and tilted his head, winking at her. Sakura ignored his usual flattering – or more like annoying – small talk. What was it with guys and delaying things? They never cut to the point but had to say all that stupid stuff as if stalling.

Not that it was entirely unpleasant, though of course she knew he was only toying with her.

"Just tell me what you want?"

_Why did she never get more than a few hours of peace before something completely unexpected happened?_

"I think _that's_ pretty obvious. Kisame, you're suffocating the poor kid. Save him for Itachi," Hajo scolded Kisame mildly, as if he was speaking to a two year old.

_Wouldn't surprise me if his competence **would** be that of a two year old. _

Kisame glared at Hajo and softened his hold on Sasuke. Sasuke drew in a deep breath and let out a cough. Sakura blinked. She hadn't realised Kisame had been holding him _that_ tight. Suddenly alarmed, Sakura narrowed her gaze and focused entirely on Hajo. He was currently busy rubbing dirt of his hand with a concentrated frown marking his forehead. As if he could feel her staring at him, his gaze swept up to meet with hers. She quickly averted her eyes, just as Kisame spoke and stole Hajo's attention.

"Hmph… He deserves it," Kisame grunted and Hajo gave him a disapproving glare.

Sakura rolled her eyes inwardly.

_And they see themselves as men... a disgrace I tell you… a disgrace…_

"Never said that, but remember what the orders were," Hajo shot back at Kisame. Sasuke still struggled in Kisame's grip. Sakura looked to her side. Hadn't Sasuke said the others were coming? She quickly calculated her chances of escaping in her mind. If they just kept being as focused as they were on their little quarrel then maybe she could run back to the others and… well… abandon Sasuke, _but _come back for him with the others.

"They didn't involve you flirting with the kunoichi either."

Taking a deep breath, Sakura briefly closed her eyes and prepared her muscles to take off. However the exact second her left foot pushed off the ground, she felt her wrist being grabbed and twisted painfully. The scent she now had labelled as "Hajo" enveloped her nostrils, and a sudden white-hot fire shot through her hand, and she let out a cry of surprise.

He had grabbed her injured hand.

"And where might you be going, my dear?" his voice purred in her ear. Sakura let out a hiss and felt herself spin around. Her hand was pulled up roughly between them and Hajo raised an eyebrow, staring harshly at her wounded knuckles.

Sakura averted her gaze uneasily.

"Itachi won't like this. He hates to see you hurt," Hajo murmured, his eyes examining her knuckles intensely. Sakura looked at him in surprise.

Is he… worried? 

"When he's not the one causing it," Kisame added snidely. The softness in Hajo's eyes switched back to arrogance, as he snapped back to reality by Kisame's remark. Kisame was quickly silenced though, since Sasuke kneed him in the stomach. Sakura let out a smirk.

_Way to go Sasuke!_

"Since you two have ended your nice little killer-smirk-moment-exchange-thingy, will you please let go of my hand?" Sakura snapped at Hajo. Hajo raised an eyebrow arrogantly and ever so slowly dipped his head down.

Sakura's eyebrows twitched as he almost sensually licked the blood off her knuckles, and she went deadly pale.

"Sakura," Sasuke hissed and fought even harder in Kisame's grip. He managed to kick Kisame in his side and Kisame had to let out an unwilling groan, but he quickly got a better hold on Sasuke and his flying limbs.

"Temptation is a wicked thing," Hajo excused coolly and let go of her hand. Sakura immediately stepped back and held her hand in a protective grip. Her skin colour slowly returned to its normal healthy state. What just happened?

_He's never like this…not this… serious…_

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked stunned at Naruto, as he came out from the bushes, closely followed by Kakashi and Chii. Panic filled her eyes the moment she saw Chii stop and stare at Hajo motionlessly. Her eyes flamed with anger but her body language was the complete opposite.

Naruto came up beside Sakura, glaring at Hajo challengingly. Hajo arched his brows and looked Naruto up and down sceptically. Kakashi had taken his place a few feet away from Chii, and Kisame – who decided to let go of Sasuke – calmly walked up beside Hajo.

Sasuke stood his ground and looked at them alerted.

Sakura found it funny that all way through it, no words were exchanged. Not even a kick or a punch was thrown.

"Get out of the way, kid," Hajo then growled and grabbed Naruto's arm, slinging him to the side. That was the cue. Naruto landed on his feet and spun around, tackling Hajo. In the same moment, Sasuke jumped on Kisame and kicked him in the stomach, sending him straight into a tree. He growled and came to his feet, smirking sinisterly.

Sakura debated whether to join the fight, but she was distracted as Hajo threw Naruto to the ground. A nasty red scratch ran down his cheekbone and jaw. Sakura felt her insides knotting up with anger. She never had _any_ peace at all.

She was about to step in and help Naruto, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She looked up in wonder.

"Don't," Chii muttered. The instant she spoke Hajo's head turned in their direction, and he smirked broadly.

"Cousin. Just the one we were looking for!"

Sakura stared in complete shock, as Hajo punched Chii on the side of her face, and she stumbled backwards and into Kisame. Kisame immediately extended his hand and knocked her unconscious. Sakura went pale and her eyes darkened at the realisation.

_They're after her… not me…_

All fighting stopped and everybody gaped at Hajo, Kisame and Chii. Kakashi was – as the caring sensei – helping Naruto keeping his balance from the hard impact with the ground.

Hajo smirked arrogantly and bowed at them smoothly, "Got what we were looking for. Don't hold a grudge please! After all it's a business matter."

Sakura couldn't form a coherent thought, as they turned around and prepared to leave. Her team mates were equally startled.

_Why are they taking her? Why not me?_

Suddenly it blurted out, "Why are you taking her? She hasn't done anything worse than me."

Both Hajo and Kisame stopped dead in their tracks. Even Chii stopped struggling against Kisame's grip. Sakura felt braver than ever though, standing with a straight spine and for once breathing regularly and calmly.

Hajo was the first one to quirk an eyebrow.

"Because you're his of course… like you've always been," he added plainly. Sakura blinked and felt an odd coldness run through her limbs. Kisame shot her a dark look, "and after all, we don't take what's his."

Sakura was convinced roots had shot up from the ground and swirled around her ankles, keeping her in the same spot. Hajo narrowed his eyes every so slightly and briefly let his gaze wander to Sasuke.

Sakura didn't fail to see the signs in that act, and she let her shoulders drop.

_If they really don't want me what's the harm in letting them leave then? After all, I don't want to go back… No… I don't… _

With his trademark smirk, Hajo shrugged one shoulder and in the blink of an eye, they were gone with the unwilling Chii.

Sakura felt exhausted. All she wanted to do was to fall down on the ground and let sleep overtake her mind. She let out a tired sigh and carefully rubbed her right eye. She more like felt than heard Naruto walk up beside her.

"Sakura-"

Sakura held up a hand.

"Don't," she sighed and shook her head. More footsteps were heard as Sasuke and Kakashi came up beside her as well. Sakura avoided the dark gaze of Sasuke, which seemed to never fail judging her. Naruto clenched his jaw and put his hands in his pockets. The act more strained than it was casual.

Kakashi was his usual self. Staring at the trees almost emotionlessly.

_Probably thinking of his beloved Chii_

"Sensei, I think we should try to get back to Konoha as fast as possible," she broke the silence. Kakashi let out a questioning 'hm' and turned to look at her. Naruto was faster though.

"Why? They said he wouldn't-"

"It's unnerving to stay here. I don't wanna end up back there."

Sakura's temper was flaring. Why couldn't they just listen to her? Just because she wasn't abnormally strong or skilled it didn't mean they had to question her. She _knew_ what was right! She had been in that hellhole for so long and they though that… She never questioned what they said. She might be sceptical but not in _that _way.

Sakura took a deep breath and curled her fingers through her hair. Her fingers were shaking, she noticed.

"But we can't leave now. Camp is already set up and when they've already been here we can't possibly escape them again. We could just as well stay here and wait for him to come-"

_Shut **up**! You don't know how it is!_

"_No_! You haven't suffered being in his power, but I can assure you, it's not _fun _if that's what you think," Sakura snapped impatiently and spun her head around to glare at Naruto. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a step back. Now it wasn't only her hand shaking, it was her entire body.

Fingers suddenly curled around her wrist and her heart skipped a beat.

_That touch is familiar…_

"Sakura, calm down. It won't help panicking," Kakashi's voice sighed. Sakura let out a frustrated huff and jerked her wrist back as if she had burned herself. Kakashi arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I'm _not_ a kid so don't talk to me like I am," she spoke harshly. Far away in her mind she registered Sasuke had vanished from the clearing and Naruto was currently busy trying to escape himself.

"Right now you're acting like one," Kakashi stated calmly and eyed her up and down. Sakura couldn't help but glare at him. She hated, when he looked at her like that. Like she wasn't his equal. Well, not that she really was, but he ought to respect her.

Her emerald eyes intensified, as she stepped forward and leaned close, her finger poking his chest.

"I've been caught in that hell for weeks. I have used up all my strength to keep up my hope and stay strong. I have made decisions - mature decisions – and I've kept my focus and concentration on the current situation I am in. I have been on my own feet in the headquarters of Akatsuki and that is more than any of you three can say. If anything I am more than allowed to act like a kid now that I've finally gotten away from the responsibility, the stress, the frustration and most important of all the sexual harassment! Judge me and call me childish if you want, but right now I wish more than ever that I wasn't as mature as I am, because then I wouldn't know-," her voice got caught in her throat, "…then I wouldn't know what it meant!"

Sakura then let out a soft sigh and turned her back to him, her cheeks _finally_ starting to turn crimson.

_Great… **Now** I get back to my usual personality…_

"I do believe your orders are to get me back to Konoha safe and sound, so you have no choice but to follow me and I'm saying that we're leaving…_now_!"

(-)

"Here she is," Kisame drawled lazily, as he pushed her forward. Chii let out a hiss and quickly balanced herself. She looked up at Itachi, pissed and annoyed after having been dragged violently and relentlessly through the forest and back here.

"You son of a-"

"Save your breath," Itachi interrupted rudely. He stood up from the chair, he was currently sitting in and lazily cut through an apple with his kunai. Chii glared at him and shoved her hair behind her shoulders in frustration.

"I can damn well insult you if I-"

"He's not taking her back alright, so you can drop dead now," Hajo smirked nastily at her, as he entered the kitchen and threw a dusty bag on the table. Itachi let his gaze sweep across it and a light frown marked his forehead, before he calmly took the bag and placed on the counter instead.

"Really, you should treat it better," Kisame muttered at Hajo, after having seen him carelessly throw the bag on the table and Itachi having removed it. Hajo shrugged, "it's useless now. Wasted on that stupid girl."

"What do you mean 'not taking her back'?" Chii cut through harshly, shifting her gaze from Hajo to Itachi, "You have to in order to complete the mis-"

"There's no longer a point in using her. She's with the kid now. It would be easier to simply track down all of them and do it the old way," Kisame smirked sinisterly. Chii suppressed a shudder of disgust and ignored him. Itachi had his entire attention focused on the apple and didn't seem to bother acknowledging her.

She placed a hand on her hip, the ultimate female sign of impatience.

"Oh… looks like you three have thought about it a lot, huh?"

Itachi stared at her, cutting the kunai through the apple. He threw half of the apple to Hajo, who effortlessly grabbed it and took a large bite.

"You _do_ realise you betrayed us, right?" Hajo managed to get out after having swallowed the last piece of apple in his mouth. Well, at least he had manners enough to chew it down before speaking.

Chii threw him a confident glance.

"It's not like you can do anything to a member of the-"

She abruptly stopped, as Itachi's kunai dug down into the table with enough force to make the table shake unsteadily. Silence had suddenly crept unnoticed into the room. Chii hesitated, then lifted her gaze and met with Itachi's crimson one. He eyed her intently with a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Because you're a member, you're under my service and you'll obey my wishes and commands and I do _not_ remember giving an order that can justify what you did," he muttered icily and Chii prayed to God that her face hadn't turned as pale and cold as she felt at the moment.

"I was only trying to save her from you," she hissed back.

For a long moment, he simply stared at her. Then he casually turned around on his heel and walked towards the door.

His words were clear as crystal though and _this_ time she was sure, she paled considerably…

"Do I have to remind you what happened to the last person who did that?"

Her mind went numb and she could only stare at the door in exhaustion. She didn't even bother to worry about the warning coming from Kisame, before Hajo and he followed Itachi, "Next time it's final!"

The moment the door closed behind Hajo, a strangled sound left Chii's throat and she hammered her fist into the black wall. It cracked beneath her knuckles and left ugly white and shaky stripes cutting through the polished stone.

"_A person is never useless if being on the right side," Kakashi shrugged, "maybe it's time to consider which side is yours!"_

Panting hard, her eyes fell on the bag right beside her. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of the end of a familiar scroll and slowly her rage seemed to leak out of her. She let her hand fall down on the counter, where it ached and throbbed in pain.

"Maybe… this _is_ the wrong side for me after all…"

"_Besides it's always better to live a life in disguise, than living the wrong life, right?"_

As if her hand had a mind on it's own, it slowly began drifting towards the bag. Her eyes glued to the bag, as the tips of her fingers grazed it. The moment she felt the rough fabric beneath her fingertips, a hammer hit her hard on the head and she jerked her hand back, glaring at the bag furiously.

Then, without a second glance at it, she spun around and stormed through the kitchen, slamming the door behind her as she left.

As the door slammed, the scroll managed to free itself from its cage and slowly, almost hesitantly, it rolled towards the edge of the counter.

"_This **is** the right side for me!"_

"_That is your decision to make!"_

"_And it's the right one!"_

"_If that's what you feel, then yes it is!" _

"…_And if not?"_

With a hollow bump, the scroll fell to the floor

"_Then the offer still stands."_

(-)

"Sensei… What _did_ you talk to her about?" Sakura asked curiously. Her mood had turned brighter almost competing with the sun, which was now at its highest spot on the sky. They had travelled, due to her wishes, towards Konoha the entire night and by the looks of it, they were getting pretty close to their goal by now.

_I just wonder why he hasn't shown up yet…_

Sakura blinked and focused her eyes on Kakashi, forcing _that_ thought far away from her mind.

"You'll find out soon enough, Sakura," he replied lazily and carelessly started reading his book. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she muttered under her breath, knowing he wouldn't answer her even if she did speak directly to him. She noticed his eyes briefly flicker towards her form, before they returned to the pages of the book.

Sakura let out yelp, as she felt a tug at her arm and turned her head to face a grinning Naruto. He had gotten his happy mood back as well, and he literally sparkled with energy. He looked at her hopefully and Sakura eyed him warily, already knowing what he was going to ask her.

"Ne Sakura, when we get back, do you think you wanna go and have-"

"Hinata," Sakura interrupted him cheerfully, "…besides I've got other things to do!"

She felt everyone's eyes turn to her, and she tensed. Had the bitterness in the last part been _that_ obvious?

"Like what?"

Sasuke crossed his arms and looked at her with worry in his eyes. Sakura frowned thoughtfully and felt her heart skip a beat. Worry? He was _worried_? It took Sakura several seconds to gain back her voice, but when she did, she forced a smile to cover her lips and a shrug to shake her shoulders.

… _Build up my defences _

"Helping Tsunade with her paperwork. I bet she's far behind," Sakura claimed smoothly, though her confidence quickly vanished, as she felt Kakashi's gaze pierce through the back of her skull.

Sakura gulped nervously.

"Actually Shizune has been a very good help. She's not _that_ far behind, Sakura," Kakashi said mildly, but the suspicion in his voice was clear. At least to Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke didn't seem to have noticed anything, since they was busy arguing again.

Sakura smiled sweetly.

"I still want to check on her and the latest rapports," she smiled innocently. Kakashi arched an eyebrow, a small smirk appearing on his face. Sakura felt her blood starting to boil and, she fisted her hands. Kakashi noticed and his smirk only grew alarmingly in size.

_Why the hell is he smirking? I'll teach that pervert not to smirk at me!_

"She doesn't expect you to arrive this fast! You're not needed yet."

Kakashi merely sent her a last glance and then focused on the book, his eyes running across the letters to find the place he left. Sakura gaped at him in disbelief.

She… she was not _needed_! Not needed!

Sakura glared at Kakashi furiously, and before she could stop herself, she stepped forward, grabbed his book unexpectedly and out of pure instinct, she hurled it to the side and right into the bushes.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at her in surprise and instantly stopped arguing.

Kakashi only looked at her amusedly, his head tilted to the side and his eyes studying her face. Sakura felt a light blush creep onto her face, but she refused to avert her gaze from his intense one. She stood her ground stubbornly. That old man thought he could just say something like that to her and get away with it?

A soft chuckle suddenly left Kakashi's lips, "See, this is the Sakura _I_ remember!"

Sakura blinked, a smile slowly finding its way to her lips.

_It's good to be home… Now there's only left to wonder how long it'll last…_

"… and go get that book!"

* * *

**A/N:** To be honest I think I got my inspiration back because of Kakashi. Seriously! I was sick of writing Itachi, Itachi, Itachi, Itachi and I just wanted the damn story to end so I didn't have to write Itachi anymore… but now it's such a joy when I have to start with a K instead of an I… I'm stuffed with inspiration and motivation right now… also because nobody left any bad reviews, not that you people use to but yeah it just made me happy and WOW, this is a long authors note. Can't you see how happy I am! I never write this long notes. I better stop… but I don't want to. HAHA, I'm so happy… 

AWW and I looked at the reviews to my fanart by Jenazia and I was like: …OMG! They love my story too! And then I can tell you my keyboard ended up in flames! I was SO inspired and SO happy, that I started writing like I could never stop!

I thinks that's it so remember to review, folks. Love you forever for it!

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**Shiva Shakti:** I can just as well tell you, Itachi doesn't go soft in this story. If I need a sequel I need him to stay cold in this story. Besides he's not that cold. He shows signs on that he loves her once in a while, right? AND, I'm a firm believer that if I turn him soft, he's gonna be all OOC. Seriously, he IS a cold man and he doesn't wanna admit/confess that he loves Sakura… IF he loves her! Hehe, so I'm sorry to tell you that he'll probably keep being like this… BUT maybe he'll change for the better at the end… hehe..

Sasuke? He's just jealous, worried, nervous… all that…and he's angry at Itachi and then takes it out on Sakura…

**Ishimaru-sama:** Wow…I never thought of it that way, but yeah at some points Kakashi can read her thoughts as well, though I think he's the most decent one of him and Itachi so yeah… hehe… He'll probably respect her privacy… Favourite story… AWWW!

**Black-Chicca:** Well, Kiiran didn't know she was related to Chii. That's the funny thing. Remember Kiiran's life story from the earlier chapters? She has never lived with Chii or anyone from her family, since they left her when she was a baby. She didn't even remember it. So yeah, Chii had to keep it a secret to protect the family's honour and so on…So Kiiran lived in a lie. When she grew older she had forgotten all about Chii and the others and she honestly DID believe she was part of her "fake-family" (until she left them as well) if you get me? Good enough? Hehe

**Chica De La Luna Fantasma:** He's in on Chii's plan?... Not this time at least but maybe later...

**latoya:** Exactly my words… Too may hot guys!

**Psychotic Muse: **Well, sadly it's true that I pick stories from their reviews as well, even though some stories with a few reviews actually can end up being much better than others with a lot of reviews. It's kinda stupid to go for the reviews actually. And I hate myself for doing it, but like you said, it's to make sure you won't end up being disappointed. I've tried before loving the summary but thinking WTF to the story itself… Just like you've tried?

**Jade Flame: **AW, I can imagine. I can't live without my computer either. Hehe. I hate that librarian now. She's stupid. Yeah, I guess it's a lot like a soap, but I just love drama and I think it makes the story much better… and much easier to write since there's a lot of twists in it to keep "plotting on"

**Atayla the Nightmare Queen: **NOT FAIR! I wanna flirt with a hot guy too! –cries- I hate my life –runs to the fridge and pulls out ice cream, eating it while crying- -one hour later- yeah well, like I said… Erm…what _did _I say?

**aznmelon:** A sign of love. You get me now? When Sakura kissed him, right after not having killed him, their hands touched during the kiss (a sign of affection) and that broke the kiss. Affection is a form of love you know…and that scared them…and surprised them. They won't admit they feel something for each other, you know…

**kaitou angel:** Actually he's not encouraging the seal. He's trying to make Sakura fight it so she can resist Itachi and his evil plan. You see? In order to make her fight it, he has to encourage it and make sure she fights it down. And Sasuke, he's just letting out his anger on Sakura. He's angry at Itachi because deep down he cares for Sakura and fear that he's gonna lose her like he lost his family to Itachi. Hehe…

**Jennjennr:** Yes.. Hajo knows (he's Chii's cousin) and Itachi knows as well. Kiiran never knew herself. Sasuke is just frustrated and lets out his anger on Sakura. He's angry at Itachi because he cares for Sakura and fears that he's gonna lose her like he lost his family to Itachi.

YAY! Finally one who can see Itachi cares for Sakura more than he did in the beginning!

**grey 0 mage:** I wanted it to end, but now I'm gonna continue it… hehe…

**zoebabii328:** I can make an alternate ending to you? If anything, I can make you one and if others want it I'll post it too…

**Dranza the phoenix harpie:** Thanks! I'm glad you now like ItaSaku!

**StringxDolly:** Haha, I know… Hilarious

**Lana:** Well it IS my first Narutofic and hey, you should try posting some of your stuff.

-

_**THANKS TO YOU ALL!**_

(Including: **The Masquerade Moth, ****Earwen Telrunya, ****Alexandria18****, Manipulated Insanity, ****Princess Jaz, ****ElizabethMarieBennett, ****Rhonda21, ****sasukegrl, ****XUchihaSakuraX, ****SabakuNoBrandye, ****Mela-Chan818, ****xXShadowedfateXx, ****MistressBlossom, ****Jixnce, ****heartless soul ,****sakura59515, ****Myu-dono****, bleh, ****Sage347, ****tytrix, ****shadow miko, ****blackXheart, ****blackbloodedkunoichi, ****Angel6582, ****ReiKai101, ****inuyashaHELP, ****Natsu Yukili****, Hunter, ****KLW14****, Sadiztik Torture, candice** **and ****MidnightWolfe**)

_**R&R**_

**-Frozzy**


	18. “Honey, I’m Home”

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy)  
**Category:** Action/Romance  
**Rated:** M, because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note:** If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it**

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**Summary:** Itachi is desperate to get Kyubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telekinesis… and is it really just one male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

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**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By Frozyemo

**Chapter Seventeen: "Honey, I'm Home"**

"Does it feel like the seal is weakening?"

With those words, Tsunade sat down in front of her. Sakura didn't dare look at her, since the disappointment had been dangerously clear in her voice. Shame and guilt glowed red in Sakura's eyes, but for some reason she didn't care. For some reason she felt like dismissing it, was easier than usual.

Closing her eyes, she let her forehead fall down on the desk with a groan.

_Keep making mistakes and eventually you learn to not care…I just never expected this mistake to be the one, which mattered the most…_

She sat back up again, however she still kept her eyes focused on the dark oak wood desk in front of her. Every single line in it seemed so familiar, and even though she should've been comforted by that… she wasn't. Somehow this didn't feel like what she had expected. To be back home, that is. She felt… misplaced?

"Sakura… how did this happen? Why did you let him come near you in the first place? You know better than that!"

_Everybody expect me to know better, right? I'm the one with most mistakes in my life and yet they expected me to not make them…**They** should know better by now. _

Sakura looked at the surface of the desk bitterly, now knowing how to react or what to say. She had never experiences this bitterness towards Tsunade before. She had always looked up to her. Now she… _loathed_ the way Tsunade spoke to her. The entire superior attitude.

She looked down at her hands. Her knuckles were still bruised from the countless impacts with the tree a few days ago. The tree where they had taken Chii back. Where they had told her, he would come for her… eventually…

…_Do I really still belong here?_

Sakura let out a sigh, "He just… he _was_ there and he offered me this potion of some sort. He just caught me in a vulnerable spot."

Tsunade slammed her palm down on the table and Sakura sat up straight in shock.

"A kunoichi mustn't have any weak spots when dealing with the enemy," Tsunade snapped hotly. Sakura blinked and tried to lean further back in her chair. At least Tsunade hadn't lost her temper, nor her intimidating personality.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and slumped back in the chair.

"Well, I've never really been much of a kunoichi in the first place," she muttered under her breath. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this faithless.

"Sakura… you may not be skilled when it comes to combat, but…"

The rest of her words drowned in Sakura's thoughts. Why should she even listen? It didn't matter how much Tsunade would reprimand her; tell her that she had been wrong, that she had _failed_.

She _had_ failed. That couldn't be changed.

Well, it shouldn't come as a surprise though. She _had_ been a failure all along.

"Sakura, you're not paying attention, girl," Tsunade snapped at her impatiently. Sakura almost lost her balance and fell off the chair, but steadied herself in the last second.

"S-sorry, I was… lost," she excused quickly, shrugging to add effect. Tsunade glared at her, her eyebrow twitching. Sakura felt like turning around and run for her life. What a temper that woman had. No wonder people didn't only respect her for her strength.

"You sure were, now pay attention an answer my questions. You're not leaving this office before I'm satisfied."

Sakura sighed heavily in her mind. Gods, this will take the entire day… 

(-)

The sunlight had begun to fade, when Sakura was finally able to walk the streets again. Her head ached from the many hours of questioning and quite frankly, she really had felt like pretending to faint, just to get out of there. What harm could it have done? Honestly?

Now the fresh air was a relief to her pounding head, but even though she had tried not to notice it something was definitely wrong with her body. It felt weaker and weaker the more time she spent away from… a certain criminal. Not to forget how her thigh now had developed a permanent itching.

_Maybe it would do me better if I honestly did go back to him… wait… What the **hell **did I just say! I mean, **think**! What the hell did I just think?! Now my brain has taken damage as well. Precious brain, please don't fail me! _

"Sakura?"

Sakura let out a loud yelp, and stared in shock at Iruka-sensei crouching before her. Crouching?

"What… what's going on?" she muttered breathily, looking around and noticing she was sitting on the harsh asphalt. Looking at a worried Iruka, she finally noticed the other pair of legs standing beside him. She didn't have to look up to know who it was.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked her lazily, arms crossed in front of his chest and surprisingly no Icha Icha book apparent at all.

"Yeah, you just fell to the ground all of a sudden," Iruka added concernedly and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sakura shook her head and felt a sudden urge to vomit overwhelm her.

"Sakura-_chan_!"

Sakura tensed and her head shot up to watch the blur of orange, blue and yellow, currently known as Naruto, jumping towards her cheerfully.

_Kyuubi…Kyu…**Kyuubi**!_

A sudden ball of heat inside of her exploded and within a second, she was on her feet, Iruka pushed aside roughly and her body pinning Naruto to the ground, her hands around his throat. Naruto was looking at her in shock, gasping for air and too stunned to move and struggle against her.

_Kyuubi…_

"Sakura!"

Two pair of strong hands grabbed her elbows and shoved her off Naruto. He quickly sat up, breathing raggedly, while watching her in complete shock.

She struggled wildly in Kakashi's arms, while trying to free herself. Iruka was immediately by Naruto's side, shaking him by his shoulders in worry. Naruto kept being in a daze.

Then as suddenly as it had started, it ended. Sakura went limp in Kakashi's arms, the heat inside of her having turned into icy coldness. She blinked once to clear her vision and then fear drained her face from colour.

_Did I want to… hurt him? What… what's going on? What did I just do?_

Slowly she stepped away from Kakashi.

"Naruto…I-I'm sorry," she stuttered and tried to stop her body from shaking.

"That's okay, Sakura-chan. I bet I surprised you, huh? Since you attacked me like that. Your defences are really good," he replied in his usual cheerful way. Sakura couldn't believe it. He was… was saying it was okay? She had just attacked him. She had wanted to _kill_ him!

_He's not safe with me…He's not safe…_

"Yeah.. I guess so," she replied uneasily while gathering her thoughts, "so, what are you up to?"

Naruto beamed at her and put his hand behind his head in his usual sheepish manner.

"I was on my way to Hinata-chan, " he grinned secretively. Sakura saw one of Iruka's eyebrows arch just the slightest inch. He never really did get over his suspicion, when coming to Naruto. Sakura shrugged one shoulder and cast a glance to her side.

"Oh, you've seen Ino around?"

Naruto shook his head in confusion. Kakashi merely put his hands in his pockets, standing there in his lazy manner staring at nothing yet everything. Iruka put a finger to his chin and looked at Sakura.

"I saw her down in the park a few hours ago," he offered. Sakura let out a defeated sigh. Why was it Ino never seemed to stay in one place for a long period? Sakura swore that if someone put an engine in that girl, it would blow up from overheat within ten seconds.

"I just wanted to have a talk with her, you know, girl to girl. There's hardly any girl talk on our missions," she explained with a small smile, "well, I'll see you around then."

She didn't even look back, as she spun around on her heel and walked away.

(-)

Chii glared at her older cousin with anger in her eyes, "Hajo, you… How can you do this?"

Hajo shrugged and threw her a sheet. Itachi had given him and order and unlike his dense cousin, he actually _obeyed_ orders coming from the S-class criminal.

"You're the traitor, cousin, don't speak too loud," he muttered dryly and watched Chii's defeated position on the ground. He hadn't been exactly thrilled, when Itachi had chosen this exact room to keep her imprisoned in, however he had no say in it.

He just preferred to stay in a room slightly more luxurious than this dumpster. Broken water pipes and the heat not working… _not_ his favourite place to spend his night looking over his stupid cousin.

Besides it was her mistake… not his.

"Can't you see he's hurting her? That seal is breaking up everything we know as normal-"

"Shut your mouth, _Chii_! He took away Kiiran, he won't hesitate to take you away as well," he growled and cast her a glare. Chii glared back heatedly.

"He can't. I'm in the organization-"

God, is that girl really _that_ stupid?

"Do you really believe that'll stop him?"

For the first time that night, he got a reaction from his harsh words. Chii's mouth slowly closed, and she stared at him with a frighteningly blank expression. He swept his gaze to his hands and ignored her, as she threateningly got up on her feet.

"He killed Kiiran for no god damn reason," she snapped, "how can you be so calm-"

"It's called survival of the fittest, darling," he spoke sarcastically, making an extra effort to annoy her.

"But it was _Kiiran_-"

Hajo's head snapped in her direction and he angrily got up from the chair, his cloak whipping the air in halves. With darkened eyes, he grabbed the chain around her neck and shoved her roughly into the closest wall.

"Look, cousin, we've never been close besides sharing the same occupation-"

"If you can call it that," she hissed, struggling to breathe. Her hands closed around his wrists, since she couldn't get to kick him from this close distance.

He tightened his grip around her throat.

"-_Nevertheless _we have to work together now. I don't want to harm one of my teammates and relative, so just please stop fighting him! This is Akatsuki, cousin. We were just lucky we've had a normal life in the organization up until now."

Somewhere, deep down inside of her, those words hit her. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. Then ever so silently, Chii managed to speak up, "Maturity caught up with us."

There was a sudden cough from the doorway and both cousins turned their heads towards the sound.

"Hajo, what are you doing?"

(-)

A young woman sat on the rooftop, looking up at the frosty night sky. Her pastel hair seemed to shine bright silver in the darkness, matching the kunai on the ground beside her.

_Why do all the men in my life slide through my fingers? Why can't I just have one steady one to hold on to? _

She rubbed her left arm and sighed. It would probably do her good if she just got back in. It was too cold out here, no matter how much peace the night sky brought her. She was about to push herself up, just as the most unexpected thing stopped her from doing exactly so.

//Why this sad, kunoichi?//

Her face lost all it's colour and Sakura leapt to her feet and looked around like a deer caught in headlights, "Itachi?"

Breathing irregularly Sakura clenched her fists.

Her eyes swept through the darkness, and somehow she couldn't help but feeling guilty at the spur of… well… happiness, that had swelled in her chest only seconds ago. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't wish to hear his voice any time soon! God, she really was insane!

_God… I must be going nuts…Now I start hearing the guy when he's miles away! _

Sakura stilled her breathing and dared to close her eyes for a brief second.

//Feeling lost?//

Her eyes shot open, and finally she realised what was happening. With a sigh, Sakura dropped to the ground and looked up at the sky with a scowl on her face. Her anger was slowly returning. Why the hell couldn't he just ignore her? She knew, she was supposed to be a lot more furious right now than what she was, but something prevented her from being that.

"_Stop _playing with my mind," she snapped angrily, happy nobody was near. They would doubtlessly label her as a freak talking to herself in the middle of the night.

//So the kitten has grown claws?//

Her cheek flushed a hot crimson and she did her best not to raise her voice at him.

"_Get out_!"

She could almost feel his words rummaging around in her head due to the slight headache, which was slowly building up. She placed to fingers on her temples and tried to rub out the heaviness of it. God, if only his voice didn't have that velvety smoothness.

//If you return willingly you'll suffer no punishment of course//

Ice ran through her body and froze her spine, "Return? What does that mean?"

//If I have to force you though-//

A loud yelp left her lips, as two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against a solid chest. A hand fisted itself in her hair and pulled, effectively forcing her to arch her head back and meet the crimson eyes of her captor.

"-the consequences will be bad," he finished coolly.

Sakura stared at him openly, as her shocked mind had failed to register what had just happened. A slow smirk formed itself on his lips.

"Too stunned to say anything?" he drawled, his voice filled with malice, "and here I thought I would have to pleasure of refreshing my not-so limited memories of you and your sharp tongue."

At those words, the numbness left Sakura's body and her eyes widened in horror. Not thinking twice, she brought her leg up and tried to knee him. He let go of her and watched her stumble several steps away from him, her eyes still plastered to his form.

He shook his head, "don't try to run, kunoichi. It won't do you any good."

(-)

"I'm taking care of the prisoner?" Hajo offered lamely. Kisame shot him a dry glare and did his best to raise an eyebrow. Chii noted with a bitter smirk that even _she_ had better control over her eyebrows.

Not that it mattered of course…

"Itachi is a fool to trust you in this. You're just gonna take her side," Kisame growled. Chii tried to hide her displeasure at being ignored like that. The answer " just because he knew _you_ would fail if he gave you the task" was close to slipping off her lips.

"Don't you have other places to be? Other people to annoy?" she spat angrily. Kisame grabbed his Samehade threateningly and Hajo let out a loud sigh. That man had no patience whatsoever.

"He's watching you. Be careful of what you do," Kisame warned sinisterly and took a step closer. Hajo immediately placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back effortlessly, "thanks for the warning. I appreciate it, now leave!"

Kisame glared at him for a long moment, before he eventually let out a huff and crossed his arms. He nodded his head in Chii's direction and scowled at Hajo.

"Isn't she supposed to be tied up?"

"Kisame, if you don't leave-"

"Cut it out, I just came here to tell you that Itachi has gone out to get the kunoichi back."

And for once Chii and Hajo actually agreed on something, "_He has_?"

(-)

Sakura felt her pulse pounding in her ears, as she did her best to catch her breath.

He swept those hypnotising eyes down her body and up again, going slow when coming to interesting areas. Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest and forced his eyes to meet hers again.

"…How did you get in here?" she asked with a slight quiver to her words. Itachi let his head fall a bit to the left and blinked slowly. Sakura expected him to jump her or something – and not in a good way- but he merely stood there.

"The question is _why _not how," he corrected her coolly. His voice had a slight edge to it and Sakura instantly realised why.

_He's mad… perfect…_

_Well, what did you expect? Of course he's mad-_

Sakura quickly spoke to interrupt her guilty conscience from finished that sentence, "If you could get in here without being caught, you could just as well kill Naruto and be done with it and remove this utterly irrelevant seal. Why did you even need it in the first place? If it was just to lure out Kyuubi, you could've simply attacked Naruto!"

Itachi arched his eyebrows, "you still haven't figured it out?"

Sakura looked away shamefully at the tone he was using with her. She wasn't a kid, yet he made her feel like one. She hated that feeling.

Itachi took a step closer and uncrossed his arms.

"The seal is combined with the scroll. Kyuubi must be sealed inside of the scroll, but if it has to get there, it needs help. That help is the chakra inside the seal. Part of it's _own_ chakra in the seal," he explained shortly.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, almost forgetting who it was she was having a conversation with. Not to forget she was moving into a dangerous area the easier her words flowed. The area of comfort.

"Kyuubi, the seal and then the scroll?"

Itachi nodded and Sakura saw a temporary spark of something brightening his eyes, before they fell back to their original darkness and coldness.

She clenched and unclenched her fists in anxiety for him to just leave, but judging by his body language, he seemed quite comfortable where he stood already.

"You expect me to follow you back, right?" Sakura muttered dryly after a few minutes of silence. A smirk covered his lips, and he took another step closer. By now, she found it very difficult not to back away from him. He shouldn't be getting this close. She shouldn't trust him like she did-

_Hold on… **trust** him? Did I just think that?_

"That would be the easiest way," he replied smoothly and Sakura finally gave in and stepped backwards to broaden the distance between them. Itachi looked down at her feet and then swept his eyes up her body and to her face. Sakura tried to ignore the itch in her thigh, which she was now rather familiar with.

"You seem a lot more talkative than usual," she said lightly. She knew, he could see right through her weak attempt to appear unaffected by his presence. Although she had stopped fearing him the way, she did in the beginning, she still feared him at some other level.

Itachi shrugged one shoulder gracefully and took a quick step forwards, "speech always pushed down my anger."

His smirk widened, as Sakura instantly took a step backwards. She bit her lip harshly and cursed herself once again. Then she let out a sigh and turned her side to him, looking up at the sky.

"I'm not going back, Itachi. I never asked for this seal in the first place and ever since that day, all there has been in life in complications and trouble! I never knew I had to suffer for being Naruto's friend."

She gritted her teeth and felt her confidence grow. If she just didn't look at him…

_There is no way in **hell** I'm going back. Not when they're all there. Their only purpose being vexing me!_

She noticed Itachi readied himself to say something, but the bitter words of refusal left her lips, before she had a single chance to stop them, "I'm _not_ going back!"

Then, with an uncharacteristic smirk, she threw him a glare and jumped off the edge of the roof. She caught a quick glimpse of his odd expression, seeming much like shock. The rush of icy air then hit her face, and she quickly bent her body towards her window, spiralling inside. She braced her hands against the floor and made a quick roll of her body, before she ended up crouching in the middle of the room.

_Ha, bet he didn't expect-_

She never got to finish her thought, as a sudden force hit her roughly, and made her fall flat on her back on the harsh wooden floor. Her head hit the floor and she instinctively closed her eyes and groaned at the pain.

She quickly found herself silenced though, as two hands grabbed her wrist and pinned her arms to the ground. A much calmer breathing mingled with hers. Out of fear, Sakura shot her eyes open and ended up meeting with a pair of deep crimson ones.

Itachi watched her with interest, dark amusement playing in his eyes, "what were you trying to accomplish by that?"

Sakura kept her lips tightly sealed, looking up at him defiantly. Itachi's amusement faded.

"Running away wasn't the smartest thing to do, Sakura," he added. No hesitation, no looking for words, simply as smooth as ever. Why did that guy have to have so much confidence? Just because he was wanted, in more ways than one, didn't give him permission to be so... so supreme!

Sakura herself was desperately looking for argumentative words.

"You're coming back with me and you're staying there, finishing your end of the deal."

Sakura stared at him after his proclamation. The deal? Just the deal? And what made him think he could order her around like some dog?

As his gaze got that tad bit too intense, she had to give in and turn her head to the side, staring at the legs of her table and chair. She could still feel his eyes penetrating her and felt the familiar rush of colour rise in her cheeks.

"Kunoichi!"

Although stubborn as ever, She refused to lick the ground, he walked on, and chose to keep her mouth shut. That didn't change the fact though that her inner mind did the screaming for both of them.

She sighed, "Ita-"

His breath mingled with hers, and she instantly shut her mouth, feeling her body melt at the usual heat he provided. His face and eyes were blank, as he traced his thumb down her jaw and let it rest upon her pulse. Warmth immediately spread from his thumb and down to her toes.

Sakura was too shocked to move. This couldn't be happening. Not again. However, the telltale throbbing in her thigh told her otherwise.

_Not good! Not good! **Not good!**_

"You long for changes, kunoichi. You want to become strong and you know that won't happen if you stay here," he spoke, gentler than she had ever heard him before. Her pulse started pounding rapidly beneath his thumb, and she tried to calm her nerves as well as her breaths.

She could handle an angry Itachi, but most certainly _not_ a gentle one!

"Would you just leave?" she finally managed to force out. Itachi's face darkened and instead of answering, he bent down, his lips tracing light kisses down her jaw. Even though her logical mind told her to resists, her eyes closed out of instinct and the tight knot in her chest finally undid itself.

As if noticing, Itachi slid a hand to her back and pushed her upwards and closer to him.

He gently nudged her head slightly to the side, speaking lowly in her ear.

"As you wish. You've got two days, kunoichi. If you're not back by then, I'll personally come and get you!"

Harsh lips then collided with hers longingly, urging her to follow the motions.

_So different from sensei's kiss…_

Sakura had no time to respond though – not that she wanted too! – since as fast as it had happened, it ended. Itachi pulled back and stared at her with a frightening fire burning in his eyes.

"You've kissed him?"

She blinked twice.

"W…what?"

"You've kissed him?" he replied coolly and stared at her harshly. Sakura felt like shrinking beneath his gaze and she bit her lip uneasily. Then it hit her and her eyes widened slightly.

_He's talking about sensei… that means… he's-_

"Jealous?" Sakura whispered under her breath, looking at Itachi intensely. She felt her heart swell in her chest for some odd reason and her eyes changed. Instead of being confused, they turned… affectionate? She saw a momentary stunned look on Itachi's face, before he covered it up with anger. His glare intensified.

"_What_ did you say, kunoichi?"

A soft smile spread on her lips and she reached out, her fingertips brushing his jaw line. He didn't slap her hand away or flinched back, as she had suspected. Neither did he respond though. He simply stared at her.

Feeling bolder, she slid her quivering hand to the back of his neck and buried her fingers in his hair.

"I said you're jealous, Itachi," she told him gently and pulled him down for a deep kiss, drowning his denials.

(-)

Startled Sakura woke up and looked around wildly, breathing heavily from her dream. It took her several seconds to realise she actually was awake and not caught in an alternate universe.

_God, I hate waking up like this!_

She then groaned and shoved the sheet to the side to sit up. Slowly she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Blinking twice, she let her gaze slide across the room, only to notice an arm placed neatly on her desk.

She forced herself not to hyperventilate and slowly her eyes followed the arm, which was followed by a muscled shoulder, then a throat and finally two pools of dark onyx.

_Oh… shit…_

Her mind went blank and she simply stared at Itachi, sitting in her chair at her desk.

_What do I do now? Oh **damn**! Gah, what do I do! **What do I do!?**_

"It's not polite to stare," Itachi stated with a voice husky and rusty with sleep, while he glared at her. He then decided to stand up and Sakura's face flushed as her eyes immediately glued themselves to his chiselled chest. Her fingers itched to touch the smooth skin there.

A shiver ran down her spine and she smiled awkwardly, forcing herself not to panic and stay calm. Itachi looked at her with his blank stare. Well, she _was_ acting like an idiot so of course he would look at her like that.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, her voice rising with panic.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed and tugged the sheet closer to her body. Luckily she was still dressed, which meant he hadn't done anything to her, but that didn't explain why he didn't wear that odd piece of fishnet garment beneath his cloak.

Slowly Itachi reached out for his cloak, which was placed on her windowsill, "Have you decided?"

His voice was back to it's normal coldness and Sakura sighed. She watched as he shrugged the cloak on and then turned to face her once again, his face blank as ever.

_How the hell can he be that cold about everything? Is that guy a walking ice cube or what? _

She rubbed her neck uneasily and shrugged.

"Kunoichi, are you coming willingly or not?"

She felt her anger replace her frustration and panic.

"I'm not your property, Itachi," she muttered angrily, threw the sheet of her bed, and got to her feet. She stormed past him and immediately went to the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast. For herself!

Busy as she was, she didn't hear him, before his arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against his hard body, much like the night before. She let out a yelp and dropped the knife, the butter dirtying the counter.

"So you say," he replied harshly in her ear. She felt her reflexes want to kick him off her, however her rational mind told her not to panic. The rise and fall of his chest against her back somehow seemed to help her keep her focus.

"So I _know_ and-"

She stopped speaking as a sudden discovery hit her.

…_Our heartbeats match._

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "-and why did you stay here in the first place? You should've left-"

"You feel asleep beneath me, kunoichi. What kind of man would I be to just leave you there on the harsh and cold floor," he interrupted. Sakura wrinkled her nose at the amusement in his voice, but decided not to comment it. This was already _very_ odd.

Itachi was in her apartment, his arms wrapped around her, and her being in the middle of preparing her breakfast.

"You should've left after you put me in bed then," she muttered stubbornly and freed herself from his grip. He arched an eyebrow at her in his own arrogant manner. She ignored him and put the knife back in her hand.

She was in the middle of buttering her toast, as his strong fingers grabbed her wrist and forced it down on the counter. She took a sharp breath of surprise and her body twisted around to face him. He easily caught her other wrist, pressing it down on the counter as well.

With that done, he moved forward, and her body arched back from him out of instinct.

"We never solved the matter at hand, which is why I stayed," he spoke emotionlessly and made sure her eyes never left his. Sakura twisted her wrists in his grip uncomfortably, "Is everything business to you?"

Her voice was weak and nervous.

He closed even more distance between them and looked down at her, "with you it is!"

Sakura gaped. She had never seen him this emotional. She could clearly see the anger in his eyes and feel it in his body language. Somewhere far away in her mind a fact was strikingly clear.

_It's almost like… a lovers spat…_

Another thought then struck her.

_If Itachi stayed here… that means Hajo and Kisame had to be alone together… _

(-)

"Why isn't he back yet?" Hajo mumbled and played with the end of a torn rope. Kisame shrugged from the crouch.

"He probably has to drag her corpse back here," he smirked nastily. Hajo threw the rope at him and hit him right in his face.

"Don't you have a plate to be on?"

Kisame shot him a look, "Don't you mean, 'don't you have a place to be'!"

"That's what I said!"

"…No-"

"What's your height?"

"180-something… why?"

"Then we need bigger plates."

Kisame blinked.

"I just love sushi, don't you?"

"No, I love sliced and bloodied Hajo! It's a new meat product on the market!"

"…You've got a problem!"

"Yeah… I'm hungry!"

"… You too?"

(-)

"I think it's about time you answer me, kunoichi," Itachi spoke dangerously softly in her ear. Sakura turned her head to the side and kept trying to make him release her wrists. Itachi sighed and tightened his grip, making her grimace.

"I don't have the patience for this, Sakura," he growled lowly in the back of his throat and Sakura's head whipped in his direction. Pastel locks of her hair covered her vision as she glared at him.

"And you think I do? You just labelled me as ´business', Itachi! My patience is running even lower than yours!"

Sakura realised her mistake immediately right after she had spoken and shut her mouth. Itachi stared at her for long moment, his eyes as expressive as a rock.

_God, why did I say that! I made it sounds like I cared! Like I wanted **not** to be business…_

"Show me!"

Sakura was breathing heavily, as she heard those words spill from his lips.

A slow smirk appeared on his face, "Show me you're more than just business!"

* * *

**A/N: **Took me long enough – YES I realise that and I apologize- but be happy! I finished this chapter and posted it on **my birthday**, so you can see how much I care about you guys.

I suppose that's everything. Not much to say here… And yeah, I got a little silly with the entire food scene with Hajo and Kisame, but I really needed a bright moment and I got it there.. haha, hope you don't hate me too much for it..

Erm well, below there's a special review response this time…

* * *

**A Special Review Response:**

**Thanks for the reviews folks… You keep me motivated! I love you all for that, so if you have reviewed at any time, then you're one of the special persons I adore. Really. Without motivation, an author is bound to fade and disappear eventually.**

_**R&R please**_

**-Frozyemo

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**


	19. Hurts, doesn't it?

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy)  
**Category:** Action/Romance  
**Rated:** M, because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note:** If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**

* * *

Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

* * *

**Summary:** Itachi is desperate to get Kyuubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telepathy… and is it really just one male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

* * *

**_Fragility Of The Sakura_**  
-By Frozyemo

**Chapter Eighteen: Hurts, doesn't it?**

_Sakura was breathing heavily, as she heard those words spill from his lips. _

_A slow smirk appeared on his face, "Show me you're more than just business!"_

To say she was _completely_ lost would be an understatement. How did the conversation go from "leave my apartment" to "show me you're more than just business"? How on earth did she end up pinned to the counter by the man tormenting her thoughts every single second of the day?

Her eyebrow twitched in frustration, "exactly how?"

Itachi let out an amused sound and looked down at her with a sarcastic expression, which – in her opinion – was enough reason to give him a defensive shove. He didn't move an inch though.

_Curse that man and his firm… ness…Well that certainly didn't sound right…_

A sigh left her lips and she leaned back against the counter, while she desperately fought to ignore the way, his thighs pressed up against her and how their breaths were heavy and loud in the silence of her kitchen. It didn't make it better that Itachi still wore an expression resembling stone. It was probably easier to draw blood from a stone than make him drop his emotionless expression.

Sakura inhaled deeply as an especially intense itch curled up her thigh and like everything else, it didn't go unnoticed by Itachi. 

"Fear doesn't suit you, kunoichi."

Sakura was stunned at his words and dared to look up at him - or to be precise look at his neckline -. She focused her mind far away from the heated daze it had developed. She was getting far too comfortable with being in this suggestive position that he was so fond of putting them in.

"Must you be so cryptic?"

Itachi smirked and let go of her wrists, "You're frightened!"

_Frightened?! Of what? …Leaving?_

She immediately crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if to create a barrier between her and Itachi. He only seemed amused by this and much to Sakura's dismay decided to trail a finger down her right arm in a light touch.

"You're asking me to ruin my entire life-"

Itachi silenced her with a look, "I'm asking you to stand by the deal and complete it."

Sakura barely held back her unladylike snort. Okay, maybe her behavior didn't match her age but she had countless reasons to be an immature brat right now.

"There'll never be that day, where you _ask_ something of me Itachi! You demand, which is a very bad habit of yours," she snapped. Itachi's eyebrows went upwards. She never used to act like this unless she was uncomfortable. Not that he didn't like her short temper.

"One day that tongue will give you trouble," he replied nonchalantly.

"Your tongue already gave _me_ more trouble than what I can handle! Everybody expects me to stab them the moment they turn to their back to me, _literally_," she shot back, her voice rising to a yell. Itachi leaned back in surprise at her sudden outburst yet his feet remained at the same spot on the floor.

Sakura clenched her fists at her sides.

_That… that… **bastard**!?_

His hand shot forward and his fingers curled around her chin before she had the chance to blink.

"You've changed and they've noticed," he breathed softly. His breath warmed her lips as he spoke, and Sakura fought to untangle her tongue. Noticing her struggling, Itachi took the chance to let his hand take a hold of her hip and pull her closer. Their lower bodies met.

_Just ignore it… Ignore it… **ignore** it!_

"They think of me as a _traitor_," she replied, "they have no trust in me. I don't want to be a part of this deal anymore."

She didn't get to see the expression on his face, since a loud knock on the door broke the heavy silence.

"Sakura? You in there?"

_Shit! Why the hell is she here?! Gaah! _

The voice of Ino wasn't that difficult to recognize and Sakura's eyes widened in panic. She knew her friend well enough to know that if she didn't open the door she would just barge in even though it was locked. Privacy was _not_ a word in her vocabulary.

"Return to the headquarters before the end of the week," Itachi suddenly said to her and let her go. Then, without a warning, he easily left through the window, without taking a second glance at her.

She looked at the window and tried to ignore the lump in her throat.

With a sigh, Sakura slowly opened the door and stood face to face with the blonde girl. She was grinning happily and immediately pushed Sakura out of the way to enter. Sakura didn't even bother to complain.

"Hey there girl, sensei told me you were back in town," Ino greeted unceremoniously and waved at her. She went over to the counter and examined it. Then went over to the table. Sakura blinked several times at her friend's odd behavior.

It was like she was looking for something. Sakura shrugged one shoulder and pinched the bridge of her nose in an act of frustration.

"Ino, this isn't such a good time, do you think you could come-"

"How long has it been since you last cleaned this place?" Ino interrupted her and wrinkled her nose. Sakura scowled, "I haven't been home for months, Ino."

Ino stared at her in silence, before she apparently chose to sit down on the table, crossing her legs and looking around. Sakura knew from experience, she wasn't about to leave soon. The best thing was just to ignore her.

Sakura grabbed the washcloth from the sink and quickly wiped the counter clean.

"Breakfast would be nice," Ino suddenly spoke up from behind. Sakura turned around and looked at her in disbelief. Breakfast?

A smug grin spread across Ino lips and Sakura clutched the cloth.

"… and then you could explain to me why my skilled nose and brain tells me a certain shinobi has been here?"

Hmph, you're not exactly a saint either!? 

And due to Sakura's perfect aim, Ino went home with a washcloth permanently glued to her face… or so Sakura pictured it in her head. Unfortunately things didn't go that way.

Ino slid down off the table and crossed her arm at her chest, "Sakura, why did you come back?"

Sakura dropped the cloth into the sink and leaned against the counter. She stared at her friend.

"This is my home. Of course I came back," she replied easily. Ino rolled her eyes at her and Sakura gave her an irritated glare. She held her hands up defensively.

"I'm just saying things change. And so do people," she added casually. Sakura did catch the hint, but refused to act upon it. She merely shrugged one shoulder in indifference.

"I'm the same as before, Ino. Nothing has changed."

Ino raised an eyebrow at that and motioned towards the door with her head, "You know, before you never used to lock your door."

Sakura blinked and was about to laugh as the humor in those words. She kept it inside herself though. Then the real meaning hit her and her eyes narrowed to slits, as she watched Ino examining the place for more dust.

_This just can't be true. Even Ino thinks of me like that!_

Grabbing the washcloth from the sink, Sakura responded, "Oh yes that's right. And because I lock my door it makes me a bloodthirsty killer."

Ino frowned, "Hey, I didn't-"

"-Yes, you did say exactly that," Sakura interrupted her smoothly, turning her back to her and effectively ending the conversation. Ino sighed deeply and then suddenly clapped her hands together.

"Anyway, you wanna go out tonight or something?" she beamed eagerly and came up behind Sakura.

Sakura smiled sweetly at her, almost killing the cloth in her hand.

"Ino, get out of my apartment. _Now_!"

Ino glared back at her and turned around to leave, "Alright, alright, I forgot you were such a- _brmh_"

And this time Ino _did_ go home with a washcloth permanently glued to her face.

(-)

"You think she's staying?"

Naruto looked up at Sasuke from his bowl of ramen. Sasuke kept his eyes towards the street in a blank stare.

"Why would Sakura-chan leave? She's home now," Naruto grinned with an uncharacteristic hesitation to it. Sasuke shook his head. Even Naruto knew something was wrong with her. He couldn't hide it with that grin and those words.

He _had _to know something was wrong, especially when Sakura had attacked Naruto like she had done.

"Hm… I wonder why Kakashi won't say anything to her."

Naruto held up his chopstick, "If Kakashi-sensei thinks she's okay, then there's no need to worry."

Sasuke turned his gaze to Naruto, glaring at him.

"Moron, just because he's older doesn't mean he's right. Besides I wouldn't trust you to analyze his actions."

"Hey, who are you calling moron, you moron!"

"Shut up."

"You shut up!"

"What part of shut up didn't you understand?"

"I told _you_ to shut up!"

"_Shut up_!"

(-)

Meanwhile Sakura stood outside the gates of Konoha.

_Now, why is it I'm doing this again?_

She stared back at Konoha with her bag in her hand. Finally, she seemed to understand Sasuke perfectly.

_Sasuke, Naruto… Kakashi… Maybe I should've told them… No… _

"It's not nice to run away Sakura," she said to herself even though her feet slowly carried her away from the only thing she had ever called home.

Well, technically she wasn't running away. She was just leaving for somewhere else-

"He _will_ hunt you down."

Sakura almost feel over her feet in an attempt to create distance between her and the shadow which had suddenly emerged from the bushes. Tall and slender frame. Blonde and curly hair. Sakura suppressed the urge to sigh.

"Chii… So he didn't kill you," Sakura stated and dropped her bag to the ground. Chii leaned up against the trunk of a tree and kept her eyes on Sakura's form.

"I suppose he felt sorry for me," she replied bitterly just as another shadow came up behind her.

"She was really pathetic actually."

Sakura looked at the two cousins and couldn't help but feel slightly comfortable. It wasn't her fault! She had lived with them for really long so of course they had to make her just a little comfortable. Looking up at the sky, she tried not to let her emotions show.

"What are you doing here? Both of you?"

Hajo placed a hand on Chii's shoulder and leaned forward, "We were assigned a mission."

Those word swirled Sakura out of her comfort.

"Make sure the kunoichi doesn't run away," Chii quoted who Sakura knew to be Itachi. She immediately felt fear entering her. They way Chii had said that didn't sound very comforting at all. Slowly she swung her bag over her shoulder and eyed them suspiciously.

"I'm not going back."

Hajo arched an eyebrow.

Sakura found the strength to glare at him, even though she doubted he could even see it.

"Unless he can give me a valid reason as to why I should come back, I won't. And so far, there has been no reason yet."

"Sakura, you need to understand you can't run away from whatever deal you've made with him," Chii stated bluntly and pushed herself off the tree," but if you insist on turning your back to us now, we have to attack you. We have our orders."

Hajo stepped up beside her.

Sakura cast a glance back at Konoha. How did she ever end up standing here, on her way to run away from her home while being hunted by Akatsuki because of some utterly foolish deal?

Taking a deep breath, she made her decision.

"Seems like you have to fight me then."

Just as those words were said, Sakura lunged forward and her fist collided with Chii's jaw, sending her flying to the ground.

Sakura was faced with Hajo almost immediately after.

"Why must you be so persistent?" he grumbled, as his hand shot forward and grabbed her around her throat and flung her towards the nearest tree.

Pain exploded in her lungs, as she hit the trunk of the tree and fell to the ground. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She gathered it on her tongue and spit it out, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Hajo was behind her in the blink of an eye and threw her to the ground once again. She let out a sharp cry, as her shoulder dislocated the moment her side hit the dirt.

Chii slowly made her way over to her and crouched beside her. Satisfaction stabbed Sakura's chest as she saw the purplish bruise already forming on her cheek.

"You can't win, Sakura."

"That doesn't mean I won't give it a try," she spat back and got to her feet. Rage was boiling within her and for once in her life she _wanted_ to win. Not just to win, but to _win_. She forced her shoulder back in place and ignored the renewed spark of pain. Pain was nothing to them; therefore pain was now nothing to her.

"Please, just go back to him and… talk," Chii sighed, "Fight him instead of using all your strength on us."

_It's true though… I can't win this fight… I can only hope to lose them in the forest…_

Sakura smiled bitterly, "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not going _back_! I won't give Naruto to you. I won't be bait."

Chii ran a hand through her hair frustrated, "The scroll needs nourishment."

"It won't get any from me," Sakura shot back stubbornly and took a step back, as Hajo advanced on her.

"You're the only one it can get it from."

"Then destroy the scroll or something – I don't know, but I _refuse _to be a part of this ridiculous game anymore!"

A burst of chakra exploded in her palms and she buried her hands deep down in the ground, making it shake and crack. Chii and Hajo immediately jumped up in the trees to avoid the attack. Sakura didn't bother to look behind, as she grabbed her bag and sped off into the forest.

_Just leave me alone god dammit! _

Up in the branches Hajo was rubbing his head where Chii had hit him with her fist, "And there she goes. Why can't you just grab her and-"

"Stop complaining," Hajo growled angrily and shoved her off the branch lazily. She landed safely on the ground, glaring up at him.

"Be happy I convinced Itachi not to slaughter you," Hajo smirked down at her, as he jumped off the branch and landed beside her. She put a hand on her hip and suppressed the urge to strangle her cousin.

"He _will_ slaughter us since we just _lost her again_," the last part was practically yelled up in his face. He had no time to respond though, as Chii instantly spun around and went after Sakura.

He looked after her, sighing before following, "…Women."

"I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!"

(-)

At last Sakura got away from the cousins and sat down on a branch to catch her breath. God, they were hard to lose but of course what had she expected? Now, where was she?

She let her gaze wander across the surroundings but recognized nothing.

Jumping down on the ground, she scolded herself for wasting several hours on running away from two killers. But just maybe Chii had been right after all. Maybe Sakura should use her strength on Itachi.

"Maybe I _should_ just return to him and try to persuade him to end this madness. Nobody trusts me while I'm carrying this _stupid_ seal," she muttered to herself and examined the nail on her thumb thoughtfully.

Unknowingly her feet changed direction as she began following the path she knew would lead to Akatsuki-area.

_Now it's time to use your endless amount of courage. _

Luckily she didn't have to walk very far, as she stumbled upon the first kunai branded into the trunk of a tree. A shudder ran down her spine and she swallowed uneasily. She could almost feel the power radiating off this place.

She slowly came to a halt, her jade eyes widening. Or maybe it was the power of-

"Only half a day has passed."

- _him_.

Sakura inhaled her gasp and quickly scanned the area, but couldn't find the outline of the one person she knew it was.

_But… Why isn't he inside the headquarters? Well, now you really can't back out Sakura! _

"I gave you to the end of the week," he stated calmly from the shadows. Sakura looked down at her worn sandals and tried her best to remain unaffected. It proved to be harder than it sounded.

"I want you to remove the seal. Your plan has backfired."

To herself it sounded almost pathetically. How low her voice was, that is. She convinced herself though that it meant nothing. It didn't matter how easily he could wrap her around his finger and how expertly he could play her strings.

"Is that so?"

Sakura saw his figure emerge from the trees to her right, but made no move to face him. She simply kept standing where she was, facing the ground rather than the object of her misery.

Her hands itched to take a hold of him and shake him into oblivion, screaming curses at him and blaming him on everything that had happened, although she knew things would escalate to entirely different things _if_ she did.

"Don't play around with me, Itachi. I'm here for one purpose and that is to end this deal once and for all. One way or another it ends here."

Her steady voice surprised even herself and apparently Itachi too, since silence enveloped her in its chilling embrace. It only lasted until she heard his suppressed laughter. A torch of anger immediately flamed up inside her.

"I told you not to play around Itachi! I refuse to be treated like-"

In a matter of seconds his form had appeared directly behind her. Her breath hitched in her throat, as she felt his bulging chest pressed against her back and his breath fanning out on her neck.

_Why is it always behind me? I can never see what he's gonna do! Shit, why the hell did I come here? What was I **thinking**!? Oh yeah, ending all of this mess. _

One of his hands fingered a strand of her hair tentatively. Sakura felt relief flooding through her as it dawned on her he wasn't about to stick a sword through her stomach. The relief was short though.

A loud hiss streamed off her tongue as his hand took a fistful of her hair and forced her back against him brutally. The thought of struggling him crossed her mind, but the disturbing words he whispered in an almost tender voice in her ear, threw her off balance.

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

_Kiss… Kiss me?_

His breath hit her neck with unexpected force, as he let out a short chuckle at hearing her thoughts shot at him almost as if it had been deliberate, "Yes, kiss you."

A long silence followed.

"Don't treat me like this. The seal doesn't care how you act, as long as it's simply touched," Sakura bit back at him and tried not to let her confusion show. One of his hands took a casual hold of her shoulder and turned her around, his other hand still buried in her pastel hair.

Swallowing uneasily, she kept her eyes focused on his collarbone hid by his cloak.

"Now I'll ask you again, do you want me to kiss you?"

Sakura refused to answer even as she felt her cheeks starting to heat up. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and nearly let out a shriek, as their noses bumped together. When did he get that close? When did he lean down?

"Do you want me to kiss you?" This time it was more an order than it was a question.

_Just keep your lips sealed, Sakura! Don't let him do this to you! You're stronger than that!_

In her refusal, Sakura pressed her lips tighter together, only adding fuel to Itachi's amusement. Why did their encounters always end up like this?

"You need to breathe, kunoichi," Itachi's amused voice mumbled before he – much to Sakura's surprise – pulled away. Sakura instinctively took a few steps back and eyed him in alert. Her knees desperately wanted to betray her though. Curse him and his… his… something!

Sakura's eyes softened in confusion, when Itachi gave her a glance and then turned his back to her, looking into the darkness of the forest with a blank look.

"The seal will fade after a few weeks of neglect."

_Wha… What? Neglect? _

"If you stay away from your Kakashi in that time, the seal will automatically deactivate," he continued flatly.

A fist of ice had fallen down from the sky and hit Sakura. She stood frozen to the spot, staring at the back of Itachi, as he stopped speaking.

_Can this be true? Is he honestly… _

Slowly she parted her lips, "Are you saying… you're putting an end to it?"

For a long minute Sakura believed her eardrums had been permanently damaged when Itachi didn't answer, but then eventually it occurred to her his silence _was_ her answer. That was when the true reason to why he had told her to be here at the end of the week, seemed to finally come to her mind.

_Oh god…_

She couldn't get any words to leave her mouth. A tight knot formed in her stomach and flooded all the way up to her throat… Hurt and panic. Shouldn't it be relief and happiness?

Itachi turned his eyes up towards the sky, "It's over, Sakura."

_It's over? _

"Go back."

The words hit her like stone. She couldn't respond to it. Something prevented her from smiling in happiness, from turning around and speeding away to tell everyone. Something… something… It _couldn't_ be…

The blow to her chest when Itachi gathered chakra at his feet, jumped off the ground and into the trees made all her doubts vanish. It _could_ be.

**

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A/N: Bloody ****HELL**, that was hard to write. This entire chapter has nearly killed me! An apology for not updating for this long can't make it up to you guys, so yeah… I'll figure something out later. XD Bloody , that was hard to write. This entire chapter has nearly killed me! An apology for not updating for this long can't make it up to you guys, so yeah… I'll figure something out later. XD 

Anyway, not much to say so I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was a little shorter than the others.

Btw, I'm posting this already because I believe you deserve to get it now even though it's shorter than what I usually post.

_**R&R**_

**- Frozzy**


	20. Love

**Title:** Fragility of The Sakura

**By:** FrozyEmo (-Frozzy)  
**Category:** Action/Romance  
**Rated:** M, because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)  
**Important Note:** If you find any mistakes in the chapter, as well as the whole story, then please ignore it. English aint my native language; it's only my second language through five years, so I'll be really grateful if you just can ignore it. Thanks.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or anything connected to it

**Summary:** Itachi is desperate to get Kyuubi, so he plants a certain invisible cursed mind-seal on a certain pink-haired kunoichi. The seal is to be physically activated by the touch of a male, but how can it be that problems arise, when the seal not only helps mind reading, but also creates emotional telepathy… and is it really just one male that can activate the seal? ItaSaku & slight KakaSaku

* * *

**A/N: I haven't updated for god knows how long, because the deaths of two people I cared greatly for and were very close to have kept me away from my writing and my entire life in general. Sorry!**

Oh yeah and… this is the final chapter.

**

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**

_**Fragility Of The Sakura**_  
-By Frozyemo

**Chapter Nineteen:**** Love  
**

One week…

"…Sakura?"

One week in hell…

"Sakura?"

"Ne, Sakura, what are you doing up there?"

Looking down from her position on the branch high in a tree, she set her eyes on her blonde friend. A sarcastic reply was ready to roll of her tongue, but she swallowed it with much effort.

"Resting my legs," she replied to Ino and tried in her most polite way to ignore the persistent spirit of her friend. Unfortunately she had no such luck. Ino swung herself up on the branch.

"I heard from Shikamaru, Kiba told him that Hinata had told him that Naruto told her that you came to his room in the middle of the night last week all beaten up?" she blurted out. Sakura tried to hide the stab of something in her chest… _Hey?_ Yes, she had gone to Naruto that night. Somehow the only place she knew she could find comfort was in the presence of the closest friend of hers. He hadn't commented on it the next day, and for that she was grateful.

A week had passed since that day.

"You of all people shouldn't believe in rumours," she told her dismissively.

"It sounded pretty true to me," she continued stubbornly. Sakura shook her head and jumped off the branch. Ino followed her closely as they together exited the training grounds.

"Tenten told me that Neji encountered Akatsuki a few days ago."

…_What? Why?! How?!_

"Oh…" she replied emotionlessly, watching her feet as they carried her along the grass. Ino glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"This is where you should ask me what, why and how," she commented lightly. Sakura tried not to notice the tension building up between them and simply nodded. At this Ino let out a frustrated sound.

"What's the matter with you? You've been avoiding everyone the last week. Last day _Kakashi _was even looking for you!"

Sakura's lips curved into a small smile. So her sensei did have the heart to care for her when necessary. Funny, she had never doubted it either now that she thought about it. Ignoring the sudden tingling reaction from the seal, Sakura turned a corner.

"Was he hurt? Neji?"

Ino shook her head.

"Well no, he was in perfect shape as always- _hey_, you're avoiding the subject forehead-girl!"

_What the!? _The last part was practically screamed into Sakura's ear. Inner Sakura pulled out a burning torch at the size of herself and started chasing Ino, waving the torch in the air like a lunatic… how Sakura wished that was real life.

"I'm standing right here!"

"Yeah I can see that!"

"Then stop yelling!"

"It's hard when you're acting like your entire life is ruined! Pitying yourself isn't making it any better." _And neither are you!_

How Sakura's fist wished to be buried in Ino's face right now, "I do not pity myself."

"Could've fooled me."

Several minutes passed while the two women walked down the road. People around them didn't take much notice as they were busy with their daily routines. Sakura noticed a group of kids playing at the far end of the road, kicking to a piece of wood.

"You should be happy. A lot of people care about you. Not just him."

Yet again something pulled at Sakura's chest, "I know." _Liar_

"Well I have to go meet with Tenten, so I guess I'll see you around." Sakura looked after Ino as she turned left and went down another road.

As she passed the shops on the road, her feet came to a sudden halt at the sight of a familiar masked figure walking towards her with his eyes glued to an orange book in his hands. She quickly ran the last distance up to him, falling into steps beside him.

"Hey."

He looked up from his book to send her a lazy glance, "Sakura. What brings you here?"

_Way to go Sakura. Trust it to him to make you feel unwanted. _

"Ino said you were looking for me yesterday," she said lightly and tired to push back the memory of a very… intense moment between the two of them. She didn't succeed completely. Unfortunately.

"They were worried about you." _They… Not 'we'? How very typical of you, sensei. _

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she joked and kept her eyes fixed on the road. She could still feel the piercing gaze of his, as it burned into the back of her head, "Really. You guys shouldn't worry so much."

"I guess not," the amused voice came from her teacher. Sakura looked at the cover of his book. At least something never changed. In all her years only a selected few people had been steady in her life, and now everything was crumbling beneath her feet.

(-)

"He's still out there?"

Chii nodded towards the window, "Kisame tried to talk to him. We had to get the medical-nins here."

Hajo shuddered and leaned heavily against the wall, looking at his cousin with a frown. She arched an eyebrow in response. They both thought what they didn't dare saying. If Itachi didn't return within the next days… he wouldn't return at all.

"I never thought anything could trouble Itachi. It's just… wrong," Hajo mumbled and threw a glance outside, where Itachi was to be found somewhere. Chii smiled bitterly, "It takes drastic events to trouble a killer."

"You think he loves her?" Hajo asked calmly and shot a glance in Chii's direction. She closed her eyes briefly, and when they opened the former indifference that had been there was gone.

"Even if he does, it won't be a love we can ever understand."

"I guess you're right. Love can't live in a heart like his without being tainted."

"Tainted love… When did you get so poetic, cousin?"

"What? You didn't know that was one of my hidden talents?"

"…Don't push it."

(-)

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The slight twitch of his visible eyebrow told her he was listening.

"Have you ever felt out of place?"

She kept her jade eyes fixed on the road and for a long time there was no sign indicating that her former teacher had heard her. The noises from the street hummed in the background.

"It happens," was his calm response. She didn't dare look at him. Something told her that doing that would be her downfall.

"Doesn't it bother you at all?"

Kakashi fixed his eye on her and slowly lowered his book to take a better look at his student. She openly refused to look at him. He would be a fool not to know where this was leading. Apparently he had to save his book for later. With an inward sigh he put his book away.

"Everybody feels out of place in one way or another, but it's the choices they make that form them to be the persons they are."

"So if a person feels out of place, it's their own fault?" she questioned thoughtfully. She had no control over her words at the moment. Deep down she needed to tell him this. She needed someone's guidance and so far Kakashi was the only one who had ever been of any help to calm her mind.

"It's not anybody's fault, Sakura. We control our lives through the choices we make."

And this was it. It was easier to say than she had assumed, "What if you're unable to choose at all?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. So this was the problem… although it wasn't that he hadn't known from the start where this conversation was heading. To be honest with himself, he would gladly have sacrificed his mask to Naruto and Sasuke if it could have prevented him from seeing Sakura in this torn state of mind.

"A few minutes ago you chose to have this talk with me, didn't you?"

Sensing he was going somewhere with it, Sakura nodded.

(-)

The door slammed open and Hajo nearly fell off his chair together with Chii, as Itachi strode into the room with a torn cloak and his customary glare. Kisame entered the room after hearing the commotion, and joined the others in their puzzled looks.

"Itachi?"

He pulled out a scroll from his cloak and put it on the table, unfolding it effortlessly while his team-mates stared in complete surprise at him. As usual he was indifferent to their shock.

"I've come up with a plan to capture Kyuubi. If we follow these instructions, it would only take us a few months."

Nobody answered him for at least ten seconds. Chii was the first to recover and did so nicely.

"So uh, we're back on track?"

Itachi's eyes hardened, "Are you implying we lost track?"

"…Of course not."

"Good, because we didn't," he pointed at the scroll, "I've contacted the other members. They're on their way here and we will discuss this matter."

And things were back to normal. Chii and Hajo exchanged glances.

(-)

"And right now you're choosing to listen to me," Kakashi finished cryptically. Sakura waited for him to continue but it took less than a few seconds for her to figure it out herself. Her sensei watched with a little amount of pride as the last pieces of the puzzle was put in place and her eyes flickered with an unknown emotion.

"... A person can never be unable to choose," she then concluded softly while staring at her feet walking beside Kakashi's. She heard the sound of his book opening again and the flipping of pages.

As she finally looked at him, he was once again absorbed by his book and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Yes, some things around her certainly hadn't changed and just maybe that was for the better.

"What is love to you, sensei?"

After all some things were just never meant to be.

"…Is this some kind of bad joke?"

Some things simply _couldn't _be.

"_Sensei_!"

But then, a little change once in a while helps keeping us sane.

"Alright, alright, no need to get violent! I'm not good when it comes to love. I guess I've never been good at it."

_This is how it's supposed to be. This is where my loyalty lies. With the people who will always need me the most... _

"Me neither…"

She looked up at the sky, watching a bird fly in loops towards the trees of the forest.

Sometimes it's alright when people comes off track. Sometimes they learn from it, they grow from it. Sometimes their hearts can open to much more than what was thought possible before. Sometimes…sometimes new feelings are found and new worlds are discovered.

And sometimes you have to sacrifice a part of yourself in order to keep the rest.

The bird flew closer to the ground and disappeared into the trees.

* * *


	21. Epilogue

**Title:** Fragility of the Sakura

**By:** Frozyemo  
**Category:**Action/Romance  
**Rated:** M, because of graphicness in later chapters (violent and sexual content)

**

* * *

****  
Epilogue:**

Thinking of it now I don't know what to make of it.

The seal is gone, deactivated. I have to believe that. Perhaps I should have felt naked without it, but I don't. Perhaps I should have cried for the loss of it, for the loss of what it represented, but I'm not delusional.

Kakashi hasn't mentioned the seal. I like to think he knows me too well to do it, but at the same time I know he is just afraid it will make me snap. He has distanced himself from me, an understandable precaution with the seal and whatnot, but it still weighs me down, hovering like a disease and refusing to dissolve. I haven't sought him out and confronted him about it, because why would I tear open freshly healed wounds? For now Naruto will have to be my go-to person, although with him I can't bury my face in his neck, claw at his shoulders and scream out my frustrations. Sasuke is out of the question. And I miss Kakashi.

Akatsuki has made no further move that we know of.

Itachi has made no further move that I know of.

I don't know why I so very naively had expected that to give me closure. However, he did show up a month ago and pulled me up by my roots, leaving me rootless.

…

…

…

With the sun beating down on her back she crouched low by the small stream, splashing lukewarm water onto her face and neck. All bones in her body crunched and gnashed with exhaustion and her head felt far too heavy for her shoulders. It had her wonder for the twentieth time why she didn't spend her time off duty honing her medical skills instead of jumping around and chopping trees into woodchips. After all, she had just been offered to work fulltime at the hospital and at the request of one very persistent Tsunade, she had accepted the offer.

Needless to say her team hadn't, but then again they wouldn't have had to say no to a pissed off Tsunade either. It was safe to say Sakura hadn't fully been in her right mind when she had agreed.

Speaking of Tsunade, Sakura ought to head back home and get ready for her evening shift at the hospital. Shizune would have her leg and more if she showed up in dirty clothes and matted hair again. She had done that once and-

"Itachi."

There was a pause.

"I don't train with Naruto. You won't find him here."

Somewhere behind her she heard him move, and knew instantly that he had wanted her to hear. Out of pure spite she didn't stand up from her crouch, but watched her blurred reflection in the water. If she had had it in her, she would have been proud of her stoically blank face, but when she at the same time could feel her heart crawling up her throat like a fat juicy bug, there wasn't much to be proud of.

"I am not here to track down the Jinchuuriki."

He sounded as tedious as ever. Sakura dug her fingers into the ground beneath her, curling them and feeling soft dirt creep up underneath her nails.

"Is it Sasuke then?"

"Sasuke will come to me. I do not come to him."

She dug deeper.

"You do not keep your back turned on the enemy," he reprimanded quietly, "Sakura."

There was a soft lift to his voice she hadn't heard before. Well, fuck. She rose to her feet, uncurling her fingers from the ground, and with her heart threatening to roll off her tongue she turned and faced Itachi.

His hair was longer; much sleeker than what she remembered, but what screamed for her attention was the stark white gauze wrapped tightly and neatly around the back and left side of his head. She chose to believe it was the medic in her that forced her to take notice of the injury before all else, but it wasn't the polite and levelheaded medic who spoke seconds later.

"Pity they didn't knock it all the way off."

He blinked in response and she could have sworn his lips twitched.

"You master chakra control well enough to do so. That is not the case for all shinobi."

Sakura knew a subtle compliment when she heard one. She had spent years around Kakashi, and if anyone found great entertainment in beating around the bush it was him.

"I don't….," she trailed off, her eyes roaming his chest and shoulders, "why do you show up now?"

"Why are you here?" she repeated immediately after, as if to emphasize the fact that he shouldn't be there. His dark, dark eyes, no Sharingan surprisingly, didn't waver from hers while she waited for his answer, and she found that the cold indifference didn't bother her like it would have done three months ago. Was it bad that she wasn't quivering like a skittish animal, scouting desperately for an escape route right now?

"My former business with you has become an inconvenience to… an inconvenience," he corrected himself but didn't catch it in time. Feeling bold – because when did Itachi ever falter? – Sakura moved away from the lazy flow of water behind her, and by doing so put herself closer to the man in question. He watched her move with such precision and focus that she was reminded of how a snake hovered nearby its chosen prey, preparing to lash out and sink its teeth into the fresh, warm meat.

She could be food if that was what did it for Itachi. It hadn't escaped her notice that you got the most out of the man if you kept him pleased. Sakura was a proud person, but she was not above playing dirty.

"This is about the seal?"

"For now it lays dormant," he answered her unasked question.

"So it can flare back to life?"

"As its maker I could have it do that, yes," Itachi confirmed. A sensory memory flashed viciously to the front of her mind, and she remembered how it had felt to trace her fingers along his strong, corded arms and dig her nails into his firm, rounded shoulders.

"You're not backing up," she pointed out and as if to mock her furtherer, a strong gust of wind picked that moment to wrap her up in the smell of rich soil, rainwater and syrupy wood. Itachi's smell. She resisted the urge to raise her hand and wave at the air.

"The seal is of no consequence to me. It is you who should back up."

"You should know I don't respond well to threats, Itachi," she said and irritation painted her voice bitter. Itachi made a soft sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort, and like that Sakura's eyes lost all irritation and softened. Like that she could see past the measured looks and the curt answers, because for a second there it had been her Itachi and not Uchiha Itachi who had snorted.

And I have missed him, she admitted in the stillness of her mind.

"So what is your plan now?" she asked humorlessly.

"As I am sure Kakashi-san has already made clear to you, the seal is permanent."

"Yes?" she prodded when he didn't finish, weary of the situation and her indecisive heart.

"You must be killed."

He said it the way Sasuke would turn down an offer for a dinner date.

"You won't kill me, Itachi," Sakura said dully, "if that had been your plan, you wouldn't have dragged it out for so long. You would have snapped my neck already."

He didn't say anything for a long time and Sakura suspected she had been right in her assumption, but then he had his hand around her throat, blunt nails digging into the skin and Sakura's heart launched up her throat so fast she thought she would throw up.

"I was out of options but to come," he said stonily.

She brought her hand up to her neck and tightened it around his wrist.

"Who do you answer to? Who wants you to kill me so I won't trouble your hunt for Naruto and the other Bijuus in the future? Because that's what it is about, is it not?" she continued, wheezing for air to enter her lungs faster, "that's why you are here. I know the former location of your headquarters, because I assume you're smart enough to have moved someplace else by now, and I've got loads of inside information that makes me a threat to your organization whenever I open my mouth."

In retrospect it probably wasn't very smart to provoke a ninja prodigy while he had his hand around her throat, but she felt confident that Itachi wouldn't kill her. Hurt her, maybe, but pain just didn't scare her off anymore. She was a kunoichi; she was trained to kill and to be killed.

Itachi had remained silent and was now staring down at her with a blank look on his face.

"What? You didn't think that I had already figured out you would show up to finish me off?" she said bitterly.

"You don't just let hostages of Akatsuki _go_," she rationalized, "it's too much of a risk. I knew you eventually would be sent to clean up the mess you made."

And it was true. And Itachi knew that. And he probably also knew that she had known it.

"I answer to no one."

She was about to ask what that meant, but then his grip on her throat loosened and he kissed her.

His mouth latched onto hers, soft and plush lips sucking on her bottom lip and her stomach dropped to the ground. She searched for his lips with her own, and the kiss was hard, wet and yesyes_yes._ His tongue swept inside her mouth and with every lazy, slow stroke they rediscovered each other. As he pressed the long, slim line of his body up against her softer one they recalled, and when she tugged him forward and his hips rolled into a slow thrust, they remembered.

And Sakura was lonely.

So damn lonely in her apartment with her expired food and the door that was never knocked upon.

But this would do her no good either.

"Wait-- _wait_," she spoke into the kiss, her voice irritatingly thick and raw. He didn't move back, but tangled a hand in her hair and pulled her out of the kiss.

"Ita-," she broke off when he licked a fat stripe right up her bared neck. She jerked in his grip and he ran the pad of one thumb down the same road his tongue had just taken. With the fascination he had for blood and killing, Sakura wasn't surprised he went for the neck. In every sense of the word.

"You intrigue me," he mumbled, a small frown marring his forehead, one which Sakura would never have seen if she hadn't looked for it in the first place.

Just like you didn't kill Sasuke because he was _intriguing_, she thought drearily.

"I'm glad I could be of entertainment to you," she muttered and the hand in her hair tightened painfully.

"Less can be said for my partners," he continued his own conversation as if he hadn't heard her.

She wanted to comment 'and what will you tell them when you return with no dead Sakura slung over your shoulder', when a sudden thought struck her.

"You came here to warn me."

His eyes were distant as she searched his face for the answer, and in a moment of selfishness Sakura didn't want them to be that. So she so leant forward, grateful that he relinquished his hold on her hair, and pressed a kiss to his neck. She stayed there, waiting for him to settle on a reaction. Her nose bumped his jaw when he turned his head and caught her eyes with his own. For a long moment they looked at each other, each of them expecting the other to say something.

"Akatsuki wants my head and you came here to warn me," Sakura repeated slowly. "You…" _went out of your way to track me down and tell me in case I wasn't aware._

"It would not suit me if you died because you were caught unprepared," Itachi said as nonchalantly as she had ever heard him speak and even though Sakura wanted desperately to push that issue, she knew that emotionally Itachi was a rabbit: you pursued him and he ran.

"Do they know you are here?"

She was released so fast that she nearly lost her balance. He stood with his side to her, his eyes closed, when he spoke next.

"I must return."

He turned on his heel and took the first step that led him away from her. There will be no end to this, Sakura thought dejectedly. This was what you got for fraternizing with the enemy: a life of second thoughts and coincidental meetings with your heart's desire.

"Itachi."

He didn't stop walking but slowed his steps, and Sakura used the opportunity to finish: "Thanks."

She didn't know what she was thanking him for. There were so many things really, but in that moment thanks seemed appropriate.

"Do not thank me."

With a flare of his coat he was gone and Sakura had half the heart to follow.

*** * ***

"See you later, Naruto!"

When you spent a lot of time with persons, you became as attuned to their name as you were to your own, so when Sakura heard Naruto's name being yelled out in the middle of a random crowded street she happened to be occupying herself, she stopped dead in her tracks and scouted the street for a familiar blond, spiky head.

"Sakura-chan!"

Only it found her first.

"Naruto," she greeted with a small smile, as he came jostling towards her dressed in civilian clothes, which in itself was a rare sight. Most of the time he wore civilian clothes only when he had neglected to do his laundry and had no clean uniforms left – and even then he sometimes chose to see past that – or when Sasuke had been on an impromptu raid in his apartment. What Sasuke used Naruto's uniforms for Sakura really had no intention of ever finding out. Some of the things Sasuke and Naruto did in private were more disturbing than Ino hitting on Jiraiya-sama.

Naruto reached her, spitting out an immediate: "Have you seen Sasuke?"

That left out the laundry option.

"Ah, no-"

"Are you okay?"

For being a raving idiot Naruto did have his moments of being frustratingly perceptive.

"I'm fine, Naruto."

He scowled and crossed his arms, obviously not pleased with her weak answer, "Sakuraaa, don't lie to me."

If they had been younger, now was when Sakura would have smacked him over the head and yelled twit, although she wasn't above doing it nowadays either.

But just when she thought she would have to come up with some lame excuse for her sullen mood, one which Naruto would fall for immediately if she added a slight pout and an upturn of her brows, she caught sight of Sasuke and Kakashi coming towards where she and Naruto stood. Both of them had their hands buried in their pockets and had an indifferent look on their face, but where Kakashi's indifference was aloof in its nature, Sasuke's was more of a disgruntled one.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted with a simple hand wave, "I stumbled upon a stray cat, sitting all by its lonesome next to the Hokage tower and thought its company would be appreciated more by you two than the pebbles on-"

"I'm not a cat," Sasuke finally snapped, "and you should mind your own business, old man."

Kakashi shrugged and looked ahead, completely unbothered by the venom in Sasuke's voice – and the fact that he had just been called old – which only served to have Sasuke trying to set him on fire with his eyes.

"Hey bastard," Naruto addressed Sasuke loudly, "you stole my uniforms again!"

At this, Sasuke's disgruntled look was washed away by a gleeful smirk. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"And why would I do that?"

"I- I don't know! You were the one who did it!"

"And why would I need your clothes?"

Lovingly blocking out the two blabbering fools Sakura turned to Kakashi, and found him looking right back at her with his customary blank expression. It was amazing how utterly bored the man could look. Then again perhaps that would be her face in ten years. Sakura was sure that once you were promoted to jonin you were offered The Elite Shinobi Rulebook, which would consist of only one rule written on all three-hundred pages: '_A jonin must never fall victim to facial twitches'_. And being the lazy, eccentric bum Kakashi was he had of course worked his way around that by covering up his face.

"I haven't seen you around lately," Sakura commented lightly.

"Hm? I've been busy," he answered with a small uptilt of his eye.

Oh yeah, Sakura thought grimly.

"Mission?"

"Just got back."

"Remember to stop by the hospital for a checkup. Tsunade-shisou is big on those these days."

Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, I did hear about that one incident-"

"Just admit you did it!"

"Idiot, I don't wear things that ugly."

"Why not? You are that ugly!"

Listening to the obnoxious bickering of Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura had never felt quite as detached as she did right then. So she decided to flee.

"Well, I'm off for the hospital," she cut through the escalating argument and against all odds Naruto actually heard her.

"Wait, wait, you didn't tell me what was wrong!"

"Something is wrong?" Sasuke immediately asked, pushing everything that was Naruto aside and if it had been any other day Sakura would have appreciated his concern, hell she would have basked in it, but right now it only made her feel worse.

"No," she sighed, "and I'm late."

She turned and pushed through the crowd, but not before noticing how Kakashi had found a sudden passionate interest in watching a grocery stand down the street. She didn't claim to know what went on in that man's head, but right this minute she had a pretty good idea.

Itachi might have shown her new sides of herself, but in his hurry he had also taken the old ones with him.

…

…

…

In Itachi I saw someone who had no expectations of me but despite that still saw potential. In me Itachi saw a person built up around qualities he greatly assessed but lacked himself. I am not the person I thought I was, and I can't be the person they all want me to be, but I will take that for what it is and accept it.

I will meet Itachi again. Naruto is still a part of Akatsuki's ultimate goal, I myself am now a minor goal and Sasuke will never cease to hunger for his, in his mind, rightful revenge. Perhaps that's why this doesn't seem like much of an ending, but we all have our unfinished endings and I will let Itachi be mine.

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **And this is complete. With all its loose ends and material for a sequel I say it's complete. You can hunt me down if you want to, but I quite frankly won't give a shit. (sorry if that was a bit bitchy, but in this way I hope people will understand XD)

Now, in my defense I have not written on this story in over two years, so if I have characterized Sakura and whoever else differently in this chapter, it is either because my perception of them has changed or that my writing style has changed and grown over the years. I apologize in advance if any of you were bothered by this during reading.

Now I'll be off starting a new project that I hopefully can find enough inspiration for to eventually post here.

**-frozzy**** (new and improved - hopefully) **


	22. UPDATE AUTHOR'S NOTE

Should anybody be interested I have a new original story up at my fictionpress account; "Legacy of the Gods".

Anyhow, I'll come back here on ff-net and update my other stories once my exams are over in a month's time.

_**-frozzy**_


	23. ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hi!

So, I have an announcement to make. And yes, I am using my fanfiction account to shamelessly promote my original work. I have posted a finished book called Legacy of the Gods on authonomy. com. If you are interested in original fiction, I would appreciate it very much if you went and checked it out (and perhaps even found the time to rate it). I promise you, it is of the exact same quality as the (new) stuff I have written on here, and it even deals with the some of the same themes and elements. If you have already read it on fictionpress, then I encourage you to read it again on authonomy. The version on authonomy is the revised and the finished version.

The link is: authonomy .com/books/39891/legacy-of-the-gods-/

(And, don't worry. I'm still working on Second Time Around and Narcissus!)

-Frozzy


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